The work relies on the identification of structures called thylakoid membranes. These are stacks of disc-shaped membranes that increase the surface area within the cell that can play host to ...

Called thylakoid membranes, the structures are the oldest ever found, researchers report January 3 in Nature. The finding pushes back the evidence of thylakoids in cyanobacteria by 1.2 billion years.

However it is now believed that thylakoid membranes in cyanobacteria were what made them capable of using sunlight to create energy and release oxygen. The oldest known fossil thylakoids date back ...