Stamets@lemmy.world to Comic Strips@lemmy.world · 2 months ago[DinosAndComics] The Futurelemmy.worldimagemessage-square19fedilinkarrow-up1736arrow-down19
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minus-squareprettybunnys@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkarrow-up25arrow-down1·2 months ago… are they not fossils of the cyanobacteria
minus-squareIrateAnteater@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkarrow-up25·2 months agoNot by the usual definition. The carbon, etc that used to form the cyanobacteria is completely broken down and formed into miscellaneous hydrocarbons. There’s no petrified remains, nor rock impressions of the bacteria.
minus-squareprettybunnys@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkarrow-up7arrow-down1·2 months agoFWIW that was always my concept of fossil fuels to begin with. Like whatever you just said, but for dinosaurs and all the life from before.
minus-squarehypnicjerk@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up4·1 month agodinosaurs are a basically insignificant % of the biomass by my understanding
minus-squareAnUnusualRelic@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up2·1 month agoBut aren’t their atoms perfectly preserved? (gasping at straws)
minus-squareIrateAnteater@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkarrow-up1·1 month agoNot all of them. Some of the carbon atoms will have decayed into (I think) nitrogen.
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… are they not fossils of the cyanobacteria
Not by the usual definition. The carbon, etc that used to form the cyanobacteria is completely broken down and formed into miscellaneous hydrocarbons. There’s no petrified remains, nor rock impressions of the bacteria.
FWIW that was always my concept of fossil fuels to begin with.
Like whatever you just said, but for dinosaurs and all the life from before.
dinosaurs are a basically insignificant % of the biomass by my understanding
But aren’t their atoms perfectly preserved? (gasping at straws)
Not all of them. Some of the carbon atoms will have decayed into (I think) nitrogen.