Editor's note

A group of rocks in Canada may have just changed what we know about the origins of life on this planet. Inside one of these rocks, researchers found microscopic tubes and filaments of iron that turned out to be fossilised microbes dating back at least 3.77 billion years. That makes them the oldest fossils ever found and possibly the earliest known evidence for life on Earth. Matthew Dodd explains how he proved these bold claims.

The average American family effectively pays US$1,400 each year to prop up US coal, oil and gas firms. That's the startling conclusion of economist Radek Stefanski's research on "hidden subsidies", which set up entire societies to favour fossil fuels. Even Donald Trump's most destructive proposals pale in comparison to the damage already being done, he says.

Two recent BBC series, Taboo and Roots, lay bare the cruelty of the transatlantic slave trade – one that provided the basis for wealth creation and power in Europe and the US. Historian Manuel Barcia goes back over the records to reveal how close dramatic depictions match the horrific reality.

Stephen Harris

Commissioning Editor

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Tubular fossils believed to represent early microbes. Matthew Dodd

How we discovered the world's oldest fossils

Matthew Dodd, UCL

Tiny tubes and filaments of iron found in rocks in Canada turned out to be the remains of microbes from over 3.7 billion years ago.

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