Disputes about the age of the Earth by Sandra Stoklaskova

Do you know how long there is a life on the globe? Do you know how the life on the earth began? Do you think that the living organisms were brought into existence by God? Or do you think that we grow up from different microorganisms or from primates? No one could exactly answer these questions, because each of us believes in another opinion. However, scientists and research workers are still trying to find some answer to these and also to different questions of existence. Research into unaccountable layers of rock in Western Australia was made by a French team of researchers from the Institute for Global Physics in Paris. They used a technique known as nanospectroscopy to study the cores drilled from the rock formation. This region is called Pilabra, and is well-known for its rock layers, which have a shape of cones, waves and egg carton domes. Last weeks the region was full of scientists, especially palaeo-geologists from the whole world. Also these researchers have different attitudes. Some of them thought that in layers include fossils of bacteria, called stromatolites, which were living in sea or lake water at the young age of Earth. Other people's ideas are, that shapes are the result of reaction between the rock and sea water. Investigation led by Kevin Lepot has dated these rocks to 2.72 billion years. Another research, driven by Abigail Allwood, found out that microfossils from these rocks are 3.4 billion years old. Now we need to wait until the new study appears in February, to discover the truth.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080128/sc_afp/sciencepalaeontologyfranceaustralia_080128211358;_ylt=AhfBSgR6xaTHJm7bhyI8_rus0NUE

by Sandra Stoklaskova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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