Schopf J W
Orig Life. 1976 Jan;7(1):19-36. doi: 10.1007/BF01218511.
A comparative statistical study has been carried out on populations of modern algae, of Precambrian algal microfossils, of the 'organized elements' of the Orgueil carbonaceous meteorite, and of the oldest microfossil-like objects now known (spheroidal bodies from the Fig Tree and Onverwacht Groups of the Swaziland Supergroup, South Africa). The distribution patterns exhibited by the greater than 3000 m.y.-old Swaziland microstructures bear considerable resemblance to those of the abiotic 'organized elements' but rather markedly differ from those exhibited by younger, assuredly biogenic, populations. Based on these comparisons it is concluded that the Swaziland spheroids could be, at least in part, of non-biologic origin; these oldest known fossil-like micro-structures should not be regarded as constituting firm evidence of Archean life.
对现代藻类种群、前寒武纪藻类微化石、奥盖尔碳质陨石的“有组织元素”以及目前已知的最古老的类微化石物体（来自南非斯威士兰超群的无花果组和翁弗瓦赫特组的球状物体）进行了比较统计研究。超过30亿年前的斯威士兰微结构所呈现的分布模式与非生物“有组织元素”的分布模式有相当大的相似性，但与更年轻的、肯定是生物成因的种群所呈现的模式明显不同。基于这些比较得出的结论是，斯威士兰球体至少部分可能是非生物起源的；这些已知最古老的类化石微结构不应被视为构成太古代生命的确凿证据。
