Discovery in northern lakes may be key to understanding early life on Earth
(WorldNews Canada)

A team of researchers has discovered that many Canadian lakes can provide new insights into ancient oceans, and their findings could advance research about greenhouse gas emissions, harmful algal blooms, and early life forms. Scientists from the University of Waterloo led the team of microbiologists, geochemists, and freshwater specialists in a surprising finding that lakes of the Boreal Shield may be similar to oceans of the Archean Eon, a period more than 2.5 billion years ago when microbial life thrived in a world without oxygen. This finding is important because there are millions of Boreal Shield lakes in Canada that likely share key properties with the Archean oceans. Until now,...