Stromatolites might look like rocks. But they are living relics of ancient systems that thrived on Earth billions of years ago. On the shores of the west coast of Australia lies a window to our past: the stromatolites and microbial mats of Gathaagudu (Shark Bay). To the untrained eye they look like a collection of rocks and slime – but they are in fact teeming with microbial ... [4709 chars]