MSGID: 1:317/3 64153e70   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Fossil site is 'Rosetta Stone' for understanding early life    
      
     Date:   
         March 17, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Edinburgh   
     Summary:   
         Leading edge technology has uncovered secrets about a world-renowned   
         fossil hoard that could offer vital clues about early life on earth.   
      
         Researchers who analysed the 400 million-year-old-cache, found   
         in rural north-east Scotland, say their findings reveal better   
         preservation of the fossils at a molecular level than was previously   
         anticipated.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Leading edge technology has uncovered secrets about a world-renowned   
   fossil hoard that could offer vital clues about early life on earth.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Researchers who analysed the 400 million-year-old-cache, found in rural   
   north- east Scotland, say their findings reveal better preservation of   
   the fossils at a molecular level than was previously anticipated.   
      
   Fresh scrutiny of the exquisitely preserved treasure trove from   
   Aberdeenshire has enabled scientists to identify the chemical fingerprints   
   of the various organisms within it.   
      
   Just as the Rosetta Stone helped Egyptologists translate hieroglyphics,   
   the team hopes these chemical codes can help them decipher more about the   
   identity of the life forms, that other more ambiguous fossils represent.   
      
   The spectacular fossil ecosystem near the Aberdeenshire village of   
   Rhynie was discovered in 1912, mineralised and encased by chert -- hard   
   rock composed of silica.Known as the Rhynie chert, it originates from   
   the Early Devonian period -- about 407 million years ago -- and has a   
   significant role to play in scientists understanding of life on earth.   
      
   Researchers combined the latest non-destructive imaging with data analysis   
   and machine learning to analyse fossils from collections held by National   
   Museums Scotland and the Universities of Aberdeen and Oxford.Scientists   
   from the University of Edinburgh were able to probe deeper than has   
   previously been possible, which they say could reveal new insights about   
   less well-preserved samples.   
      
   Employing a technique known as FTIR spectroscopy -- in which infrared   
   light is used to collect high-resolution data -- researchers found   
   impressive preservation of molecular information within the cells,   
   tissues and organisms in the rock.   
      
   Since they already knew which organisms most of the fossils represented,   
   the team was able to discover molecular fingerprints that reliably   
   discriminate between fungi, bacteria and other groups.   
      
   These fingerprints were then used to identify some of the more mysterious   
   members of the Rhynie ecosystem, including two specimens of an enigmatic   
   tubular "nematophyte."  These strange organisms, which are found in   
   Devonian -- and later Silurian - - sediments have both algal and fungal   
   characteristics and were previously hard to place in either category. The   
   new findings indicate that they were unlikely to have been either lichens   
   or fungi.   
      
   Dr Sean McMahon, Chancellor's Fellow from the University of Edinburgh's   
   School of Physics and Astronomy and School of GeoSciences, said: "We have   
   shown how a quick, non-invasive method can be used to discriminate between   
   different lifeforms, and this opens a unique window on the diversity of   
   early life on Earth."  The team fed their data into a machine learning   
   algorithm that was able to classify the different organisms, providing   
   the potential for sorting other datasets from other fossil-bearing rocks.   
      
   The study, published in Nature Communications, was funded by The Royal   
   Society, Wallonia-Brussels International and the National Council of   
   Science and Technology of Mexico.   
      
   Dr Corentin Loron, Royal Society Newton International Fellow from the   
   University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy said the study   
   shows the value of bridging palaeontology with physics and chemistry to   
   create new insights into early life.   
      
   "Our work highlights the unique scientific importance of some of   
   Scotland's spectacular natural heritage and provides us with a tool for   
   studying life in trickier, more ambiguous remnants," Dr Loron said.   
      
   Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland,   
   believes the value of museum collections for understanding our world   
   should never be underestimated. He said: "The continued development   
   of analytical techniques provides new avenues to explore the past. Our   
   new study provides one more way of peering ever deeper into the fossil   
   record."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Fungus # New_Species # Organic   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Geochemistry # Ecology # Environmental_Awareness   
             o Fossils_&_Ruins   
                   # Fossils # Evolution # Origin_of_Life   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Fossil o Feathered_dinosaurs o Trace_fossil o   
             Timeline_of_evolution o Molecular_biology o Homo_habilis o   
             Precambrian o Antarctic_ice_sheet   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Edinburgh. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Loron, C.C., Rodriguez Dzul, E., Orr, P.J. et al. Molecular   
      fingerprints   
         resolve affinities of Rhynie chert organic fossils. Nat Commun,   
         2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37047-1   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230317144946.htm   
      
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