Earliest known life forms

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/earliest-known-life-forms

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the earliest potential biosignature age?4.1 billion years ago (biologically fractionated graphite in a zircon grain)
2. What is the oldest stratigraphic evidence of life?3.7 billion years ago (metasedimentary rocks with graphite in Greenland)

Abiogenesis: The natural process by which life arises from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds.
Biosignature: A substance, object, or pattern whose origin specifically requires a biological agent.
Isotopic Fractionation: Processes that cause the relative abundance of isotopes of a particular element to differ from one sample to another, often due to biological activity.
Prokaryotic Organisms: Single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles, like bacteria and archaea.