J.William Schopf found fossils in ancient Australian rocks with an internal structure unlikely to occur through abiotic processes.Additional evidence that these were fossil cyanobacteria includes A) a carbon isotope ratio (¹³C:¹²C) consistent with translation of DNA. B) a carbon isotope ratio (¹³C:¹²C) consistent with photosynthetic activity. C) fossilized DNA. D) fossilized RNA. E) micrometeorites from Mars with amino acids.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The carbon isotope ratio (¹³C:¹²C) consistent with photosynthetic activity provides evidence that the fossils were cyanobacteria, which are photosynthetic organisms. The other answer choices are not applicable since they either do not provide evidence of cyanobacteria (options C and D), or are unrelated to the question (option E). Option A may be misleading as it mentions DNA translation, which is not directly related to cyanobacteria.

JWilliam Schopf Found Fossils in Ancient Australian Rocks with an Internal