Cells from a billion years ago remarkably preserved

And undergoing study, after northwest Scotland find:

What’s more, the microscopic fossils were preserved so remarkably that the researchers were able to see distinct cellular structures inside …

Inside the cells, Wacey and his team saw shapes called intracellular inclusions (ICIs) that could have been cytoplasmic storage granules or even distinct organelles, but the researchers couldn’t be certain.

Ross Pomeroy, “Scientists Gaze Inside 1 Billion-Year-Old Cells” at RealClearScience

Apparently, the rare minerals they take up fossilized them. Far older cells have been found but these were better preserved.

If researchers find cells in a really clear state of preservation, who will be surprised if it turns out that they are a lot like modern cells but somehow that fact doesn’t point to anything. Darwinism, after all, can just happen in the twinkling of an eye…

Paper. (open access)

See also: Researchers: Multicellular animals started out complex

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