'World's oldest plants': 472 million-year-old fossils are unearthed in Argentina

[Judi Lynn]

'World's oldest plants': 472 million-year-old fossils are unearthed in Argentina
By Caroline Westbrook
Last updated at 10:14 AM on 13th October 2010

Fossils of the oldest plants ever to colonise land have been discovered in Argentina, scientists claim.

The amazing find indicates that plants had already colonised the earth 472million years ago - a full ten million years earlier than first thought.

Experts have confirmed that the fossilised plants are liverworts, a simple species which has no roots or stems. They have suggested that the discovery indicates they are likely to be the ancestors of all land plants.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/i/pix/2010/10/12/article-0-0B95BCD1000005DC-739_468x416.jpg

The discovery was made by a team of researchers at the Department of Palaeontology at the Argentine Institute of Snow, Ice and Environmental Research in Mendoza, Argentina.

More:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1319904/Fossils-worlds-oldest-plants-unearthed-Argentina.html?ITO=1490

[HopeHoops]

1. Hell, that's nothing. You should see the back of my refrigerator.

[gtar100]

2. And we call 10,000 years ancient history.

Perspective matters.