Examining a collection of old and new fossils, scientists discovered that an ancient type of bacteria called Langiella scourfieldii was one of the first to colonize land 407 million years ago. L. Scourfieldii is a species of cyanobacteria that is part of the Hapalosiphonaceae family. These microorganisms thrived among early land plants during the Early Devonian period.

Although cyanobacteria have long been documented by scientists, less is known about how these tiny photosynthetic organisms are able to leave water to live on land. But Dr., a paleobiologist at the National History Museum of Great Britain. A new study by Christine Strullou-Derrien and her team revealed that L. Scourfieldii is the oldest species of cyanobacteria living on land. This discovery helped fill in the gaps.

“Thanks to 3D reconstructions, we were able to see evidence of branching, a characteristic feature of Hapalosiphonacean cyanobacteria,” Strullou-Derrien said in a statement. said.

“This is exciting because it means these are the oldest such cyanobacteria found on land.” Cyanobacteria fossils are among the oldest fossils ever found, with the oldest believed to be approximately 2 billion years old.

These bacteria, also known as blue-green algae (a real misnomer since they are not algae), live in and around water all over the world, including oceans and rivers, and on wet rocks (even in Antarctica). and in the wet sand

Cyanobacteria have played a fundamental role in shaping the history of our planet, helping to make it suitable for complex life and influencing evolution as a whole. They helped create the oxygen we need to live, thanks to photosynthesis. In doing so, they likely initiated the Great Oxygenation Event between 2.4 and 2.1 billion years ago.

Methane, the dominant gas on the planet at that time, was replaced by oxygen and became the main component of the atmosphere. This event led to what is believed to be the first mass extinction due to the inability of anaerobic organisms to adapt to the conditions.

Dr. “Cyanobacteria played the same role in the Early Devonian as they do today,” Strullou-Derrien added. “Some organisms use them for food, but they are also important for photosynthesis. We learned that they were already present when plants first colonized the Earth and may even have competed with them for space.” Source