We report the identification of a very metal-poor damped Ly \alpha system ( DLA ) at z _ { abs } = 3.067295 that is modestly carbon-enhanced , with an iron abundance of \sim 1 / 700 solar ( [ Fe/H ] = -2.84 ) and [ C , O/Fe ] \simeq + 0.6 .
Such an abundance pattern is likely to be the result of nucleosynthesis by massive stars .
On the basis of 17 metal absorption lines , we derive a 2 \sigma upper limit on the DLA ’ s kinetic temperature of T _ { DLA } \leq 4700 K , which is broadly consistent with the range of spin temperature estimates for DLAs at this redshift and metallicity .
While the best-fitting abundance pattern shows the expected hallmarks of Population III nucleosynthesis , models of high-mass Population II stars can match the abundance pattern almost as well .
We discuss current limitations in distinguishing between these two scenarios and the marked improvement in identifying the remnants of Population III stars expected from the forthcoming generation of 30-metre class telescopes .