Earth’s oldest evidence of life is written in stone - but it’s at risk of disappearing

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, viewed from the boardwalk. Heidi Allen Earth’s oldest evidence of life is written in stone – but it’s at risk of disappearing Published: October 16, 2026 12.22am BST https://theconversation.com/earths-oldest-evidence-of-life-is-written-in-stone-but-its-at-risk-of-disappearing-293101 https://theconversation.com/earths-oldest-evidence-of-life-is-written-in-stone-but-its-at-risk-of-disappearing-293101 Link copied Share article Share article

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Today, our planet is teeming with life, but it has not always looked the same. Long before forests reached skyward, animals walked on land, and the rise and fall of dinosaurs, our planet was shaped by a much smaller, more unassuming form of life. And we can still find traces of it today.

These ancient fossils, the earliest visible evidence of life on Earth, are known as microbialites .