Half Of Iron On Earth From The Ancient Microbial Metabolites

Currently, the new study shows that half of the Earth is 2.5 billion years ago and iron resources ancient microbial metabolic product. Organism was obtained by metabolism of iron instead of oxygen the body needs energy.

According to foreign media reports, the iron is essential to the modern human life as a resource, automobile and nails are made of iron manufacture. Scientists latest study shows that half of the Earth's iron resources and 2.5 billion years ago, a close microbial metabolism. The latest study, published in a recent issue of "US National Academy of Sciences" on.

This discovery will search space exploration and mining of life is important, a professor of Earth Science, University of Wisconsin Clark Johnson and China, Nanjing University of Western Australia postdoctoral researcher Li Wai Keung banded iron structure was analyzed banded iron is an iron-rich rocks, all over the world deposits.

Ancient banded iron deposits situated 150 meters underground, to be surveying mining. Scientists believe that banded iron is hot after the release of the ocean hydrothermal vents are rich in mineral water ferrous material deposited on the seabed formed. Currently, Johnson and Li Wai Keung find not the case, half of the banded iron is ancient microbial metabolic product shelf life.

Banded iron banded structure represents a different type of seasonal changes, Johnson found that the presence of long-term fluctuations in its composition, not decades or centuries produced short-term fluctuations. They used the world's fastest laser equipment for iron and neodymium isotopes were measured accurately.

By releasing the laser in less than millionth of a second of time, it is possible without heating the sample evaporation portion of the sample. Johnson said: "It's like ice cream scoop with melted before quickly dig one unheated ice cream, using conventional laser device for heating can not get this result."

Wai Keung said: "Before the detection banded iron sources focused mainly on iron isotopes, we believe iron isotopes revealed the true origin of the strip may be able to add neodymium iron change, so that we can be measured independently from the mainland shallow banded iron field number. Such an environment with signs of life isotopes. "

Microbial metabolism of iron, it sounds very very puzzling, but 2.5 billion years ago the Earth's environment and now there is a big difference in the oxygen content of the atmosphere is very low, so that the organism through the metabolism of iron instead of oxygen, to get the body energy demand. Biologists said the process is in the bottom of the evolutionary tree of life on Earth, but until now we have very little evidence found in the rock.

Johnson noted that the study has far-reaching significance for some areas, if you are a geological exploration at home, you want to know the exact location of minerals that this study will be to your benefit. In addition, it helps to analysis the evolutionary history of the Earth, as well as search for life in space, identifying some of the mysterious life of unknown structure.