Tiny 1.7-billion-year-old fossils could reveal how complex life began
Scientists are studying 1.7-billion-year-old fossils to understand the emergence of eukaryotes, the first complex life forms on Earth, which eventually led to all plants, animals, and fungi. Reconstructing this transition is crucial for understanding the development of complex life both on Earth and potentially elsewhere in the universe.
Why it matters
This research sheds light on a fundamental mystery of astrobiology and evolution, helping us understand the origins of complex life and providing insights into the potential for similar developments on other planets.
The search for life on Mars or on icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus may capture more attention, but another major astrobiology mystery is much closer to home. Scientists are still trying to understand when the first eukaryotes appeared on Earth and how those organisms helped set the stage for complex life.
That question matters because microbial organisms dominated Earth for roughly 90 percent of the planet's history. Reconstructing the transition from a world populated almost entirely by microbes to one filled with plants, animals, and fungi could also help scientists understand whether complex life might develop elsewhere in the universe.
Life originated on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago, according to Ross Anderson, a paleontologist at the University of Oxford in the U.K. Cyanobacteria and oxygen-producing photosynthesis were present by at least 2.3 billion years ago, while eukaryotes had appeared by at least 1.7 billion years ago.
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