A research team from University College London (UCL) has dated between 4280 and -3,770 million, the age of fossil bacteria located on the banks of the Hudson River (Nuvvuagittuq in Canada), an area of ancient hydrothermal vents.

This finding brings the presence of life on The Earth to the earliest times of the formation of the planet, dated at this time in -4,600 million years and puts it about 500 million years older than the fossils found in Greenland (-3,700 ma) corresponding to microorganisms inhabiting surface waters.

The dating of the new fossils discovered corresponds to a period called Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), due to the arrival to the planet of meteorites formed at the beginning of the existence of the solar system.

* Photo: Matthew Dodd / University College London / Handout via Veterinary Digital https://bit.ly/2mPA8Xy