Ancient microbe fossils show earliest evidence of shell making

809-million-year-old eukaryotes turned calcium phosphate into armor

microbe fossils

SHELL GAME  Roughly 809-million-year-old microbe fossils, such as this one found in Canada, may be the oldest evidence of organisms creating minerals for protection against predators. The shells take many shapes, including this honeycomb pattern.

P. Cohen

DENVER — Life on Earth got into the shell game more than 200 million years earlier than previously thought.