Hey there! Today, we’re going on an exciting adventure with Squeaks, who is building a time machine to visit dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are super cool, but did you know they lived on Earth a long time before people did? Since no one was around to take pictures or write stories about them, we learn about dinosaurs from special clues they left behind, like fossils.
Fossils are remains of bones, shells, or even footprints from animals that lived long ago, like dinosaurs. By studying fossils, scientists can figure out what life on Earth was like before humans existed. It’s like solving a big, fun puzzle!
Squeaks had a great question: Did anything live before dinosaurs? Let’s use the time machine to find out! We’re traveling back 3.5 billion years to discover the first known living things on Earth. Ready? Let’s go!
We’ve arrived at a time when the first living things, called cyanobacteria, existed. They lived in special rocks called stromatolites. Stromatolites might look like ordinary rocks, but they’re actually homes for tiny cyanobacteria. These little creatures are so small that thousands of them can fit in one stromatolite!
Cyanobacteria live in water and make their food using sunlight, just like plants do. This process is called photosynthesis. As they make food, they also create a bit of rock called limestone. Over time, layers of limestone and other rocks build up, forming stromatolites. It’s like making a rock lasagna!
Stromatolite fossils are the oldest fossils ever found. They give us clues about early life on Earth. Scientists use special tools to figure out how old these layers are, and they discovered that cyanobacteria were some of the first living things on our planet, even before dinosaurs!
What’s amazing is that we still have living stromatolites on Earth today! You can find them in places like Shark Bay, Australia. Scientists study these living stromatolites to learn more about what Earth was like billions of years ago when cyanobacteria were the only living things around.
Shark Bay is like a real-life time machine, helping us imagine life long ago. Life has changed so much since then, and we’re lucky to have stromatolites to learn from. What other time periods would you like to explore? If you want to keep traveling through time with Squeaks and friends, make sure to subscribe to our adventures. See you next time!
Fossil Hunt at Home: Create your own fossil dig right at home! Gather some small toys or objects and bury them in a sandbox or a container filled with rice or sand. Pretend to be a paleontologist and carefully dig them out using a spoon or a small brush. As you uncover each “fossil,” think about what kind of creature it might belong to and what clues it gives you about its life. Discuss with a friend or family member what you discovered and how scientists might use real fossils to learn about dinosaurs.
Make Your Own Stromatolite: Use layers of different colored playdough or clay to create your own stromatolite model. Each layer represents a different time period. As you build, imagine that each layer is made by tiny cyanobacteria. Talk about how these layers can tell us about the past. Once your stromatolite is complete, share your creation with others and explain how stromatolites are like a history book of early life on Earth.
Time Travel Imagination Game: Pretend you have a time machine like Squeaks! Choose a time period you would like to visit, such as the age of dinosaurs or the time when stromatolites were forming. Draw a picture or write a short story about what you see and experience in that time. What animals or plants do you encounter? How is the world different from today? Share your adventure with your class or family and discuss what you learned about life in the past.
