Hard to see what life there’d be without granite

Published on 14/06/2012 00:28

GRANITE played a major role in the development of human life, Scottish scientists have found.

A study led by the University of Aberdeen, published in Geology, reveals that the shift from simple to more complex life was prompted by the prevalence of granite in the Earth’s crust.

Professor John Parnell, from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences, said metals in granite, such as zinc and copper, were incorporated by the simple organisms.

He added: “It changed their chemistry and allowed them to evolve into the complex organisms.”