{
  "id": 1490497,
  "title": "Tiny 1.7-billion-year-old fossils could reveal how complex life began",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/tiny-1-7-billion-year-old-fossils-could-reveal-how-complex-life-began",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-17T12:40:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily",
    "slug": "sciencedaily",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260815064811.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Scientists are searching some of Earth’s oldest rocks for tiny fossils that could reveal how simple microbial life made the extraordinary leap toward plants, animals, and other complex organisms. Solving that ancient mystery may also help determine whether complex life could emerge on worlds beyond Earth.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}