Blog Post Image: Scientists Find Possible Solution to an Ancient Enigma

Stromatolites, once widespread in coastal areas, now thrive in just a few locations in the tropical Atlantic and Indian Oceans and in some very salty lakes. The formations seen here are near Shark Bay on the western coast of Australia. The cyanobacteria in stromatolites live very near the surface of the rock, where they can receive the sunlight they need to photosynthesize. (Photo by Virginia Edgcomb, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)