Scientists believe life started on our planet around 3.7 billion years ago, but that life was much different than the flora and fauna we have today. In fact, it was mostly simple microbes, but now experts studying fossils from Australia’s McDermott Formation say they may have just found the earliest signs of modern plants.
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00:03 Scientists believe life started on our planet
00:05 around 3.7 billion years ago.
00:08 But that life was much different than the flora and fauna
00:10 we have today.
00:11 In fact, that life was no more than simple microbes.
00:14 But now, experts studying fossils from Australia's
00:16 McDermott Formation say they may have just
00:18 found the earliest signs of more complex processes.
00:22 They discovered what are called thylakoids,
00:23 or minuscule structures within cyanobacteria.
00:26 The fossils are dated as having been formed some 1.75
00:29 billion years ago.
00:30 And it's the oldest evidence of photosynthesis ever found.
00:34 Photosynthesis, of course, is the means
00:36 by which plants and some other organisms
00:38 derive energy from the sun.
00:39 It's a keystone of many contemporary plants.
00:41 But this might be the missing link with regards
00:43 to how tiny microbial creatures ultimately
00:45 evolved and gained that ability.
00:47 And this was likely also key for the food chain
00:49 at that point in time as well, and could
00:51 signal when a big atmospheric change began on Earth,
00:54 as photosynthesis is key in the production of oxygen
00:57 on our planet.
00:58 In fact, the Great Oxidation Event
01:00 occurred around 2.4 billion years ago.
01:02 But scientists haven't been able to figure out why.
01:04 One of the most likely theories has always
01:06 been the advent of oxygen-creating organisms,
01:09 most notably creatures that undergo photosynthesis.
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01:16 (upbeat music)