Signs of early arsenic-fueled life found in Barberton
The Barberton Greenstone Belt continues to attract scientists from around the world who are interested in studying ancient environments and reminiscence of lifeforms that are billions of years old.
Recent visitors from the Texas A&M University in the US included Dr Kimberly Myers and Professor Michael Tice, as well as geology student Edward Marshall from The University of Texas at Austin,Barberton Times reported.
Drs. Myers and Tice brought a portable instrument with X-ray fluorescence capabilities, which can read the elemental composition of rocks in just seconds.
“This type of instrument has never been used in Barberton research, and will make a novel and valuable contribution,” said Professor Christoph Heubeck, a prominent Barberton researcher and professor at Friedrich Schiller University in Germany.
Drs Myers and Heubeck collaborated with local conservationist Tony Ferrar to describe the composition of rocks in Ferrar’s collection, which will go on display in Cape Town to raise awareness about scientific interest in the Barberton Greenstone Belt.
The Texas researchers measured arsenic content in sediments that may show that the toxic element benefited early life in the same way that oxygen benefits modern life.
This discovery would provide the earliest evidence of arsenic-fueled life on the planet, a concept proposed by many researchers, but not yet proven. Myers and Tice also detected elevated arsenic levels in close proximity to an illegal mining site.
Illegal mining has led to massive arsenic contamination in other countries and has caused devastating health issues in local populations. Hopefully this discovery will contribute to stopping illegal mining before issues arise for the Barberton area.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on barbertontimes.co.za
