Ancient microbes in our backyard

India has unearthed something remarkable near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand: what could possibly be the oldest direct proof of life in the form of fossilised remnants of microscopic organisms dating back 3.5 bn yrs, a measly 1 bn yr younger than Earth itself. Thin, carpet-like microbial mats, preserved in silica-rich rock, hint of Earth's earliest stirrings. It's a discovery of profound scientific importance. But, predictably, some patriots will find in it proof of Indic cultural triumph.

Fossilised bacteria, one must warn the enthusiastic if they are in any mood to listen, aren't proof of Jharkhand, and by extension India, being god's own country. To conflate microbial mats with Mohenjo-daro is to confuse pond scum with parliament. But, yes, they could be our ancestors, 'our' in the sense of all life forms, Pakistanis included. These organisms were architects of oxygen, quiet engineers of habitability. They should remind us that life's grandeur begins humbly, not with empires but with cells. So, we should celebrate for what this discovery may be: a window into the planet's deep past, not a trophy in the contest of civilisational seniority. The microbes may be ancient but civilisation is another matter. Unless, of course, one insists the first Indic people were bacteria. Which, frankly, doesn't quite come across the way it may be intended.