Earth History
Researchers at MIT have found evidence that some early life forms began using oxygen hundreds of millions of years before it accumulated in Earth's atmosphere. The study traces a key oxygen-processing enzyme to the Mesoarchean era, suggesting microbes consumed oxygen produced by cyanobacteria. This discovery challenges previous understandings of aerobic respiration's timeline.
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Researchers have uncovered how soft-bodied organisms from 570 million years ago were exceptionally preserved in sandstone, defying typical fossilization challenges. The discovery points to ancient seawater chemistry that formed clay cements around the buried creatures. This insight sheds light on the evolution of complex life before the Cambrian Explosion.