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

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Edinburgh. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== 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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