Scientists in Australia are investigating possible evidence of Earth's earliest life forms: rocks that have a strange, fibrous texture created more than 3.4 billion years ago.

Fossils are remains of ancient life, but can these fibrous rocks be considered fossils? Or did the formations occur through nonbiological processes?

Some scientists believe that these structures were formed by primitive bacteria or other life forms, while others argue that they are the result of geological processes. Researchers are using advanced imaging techniques and analysis to try to distinguish between the two possibilities.

The identification of these fibers as biogenic would push the origin of life back by more than 500 million years, providing insight into the earliest stages of life on Earth. However, the evidence is still ambiguous, and further study is needed to confirm the biological origin of these enigmatic structures.