Fool's gold is treasure-trove of information

A STUDY of fool's gold by scientists at Edinburgh University is shedding new light on the evolution of the Earth.

Analysis of the mineral pyrite - dubbed fool's gold - is giving fresh insight into events which happened 2.4 billion years ago, transforming the Earth.

Dr Ian Butler, who led the research, said: "Technology allows us to trace scientific processes that we can't see from examining the mineral composition alone."