Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have discovered a carbon residue that was once part of ancient life, preserved in a 2.5-billion-year-old ruby. The findings of their analysis are published in the November issue of the journal Ore Geology Reviews. The team of seven researchers, led by Chris Yakimchuk, professor of earth and environmental sciences at Waterloo, studied the geology of rubies to better understand the conditions required for ruby formation. Researchers found a rare ruby in Greenland, which contains the oldest known deposits of rubies in the world. The team found a sample of ruby that contained graphite, a mineral composed of pure carbon. Upon its analysis, the team of researchers found that graphite was a relic of early life.
The researchers analyzed a property called the isotopic composition of carbon atoms, which measures the relative amounts of different carbon atoms. In a statement, the researchers noted that more than 98 percent of all carbon atoms have a mass of 12 atomic mass units, but there are some carbon atoms that are heavier, with a mass of 13 or 14 atomic mass units.
Yakimchuk said in a statement that living matter preferentially contains lighter carbon atoms because they take less energy to incorporate into cells. However, based on the increased amount of carbon-12 in graphite found inside rubies, scientists concluded that carbon atoms were once ancient life, most likely dead microorganisms such as cyanobacteria.
The graphite found in rocks is estimated to be over 2.5 billion years old. During that ancient time, oxygen was not abundant in the atmosphere, and life existed only in films of microorganisms and algae, the study noted.
Yakimchuk also noted in his statement that the graphite inside the ruby is “truly unique” because it is the first time he has seen evidence of ancient life in ruby-bearing rocks. He also noted that the presence of graphite gives him more insight into determining how rubies form on location, something that is impossible to do directly based on the color and chemical composition of the ruby.
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