Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
06:29
Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
3.5K
Co-evolution of early Earth environments and microbial life
Timothy W Lyons1,2, Christopher J Tino3, Gregory P Fournier4
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. timothy.lyons@ucr.edu.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|May 29, 2024
Summary
Microbial life
Area of Science:
- Geobiology
- Geochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Biospheric Evolution
Background:
- Earth's history is recorded in rocks and genomes.
- Early life is identified by isotopic fingerprints and biomarkers.
- Biospheric evolution is marked by the transition to an oxygen-rich world.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the history of microbial life on Earth.
- To understand how microbial life shaped and was shaped by Earth's chemical transitions.
- To examine early metabolic processes and their link to oxygenation.
Main Methods:
- Overlaying molecular lineages on geologic and geochemical records.
- Examining isotopic fingerprints, fossils, and organic biomarkers.
- Analyzing the coupling of metabolic processes with biogeochemical cycles.
Main Results:
- Microbial evolution is intrinsically linked to Earth's chemical and physical changes.
- Early metabolic processes influenced planetary environments.
- The oxygenation of the biosphere was a key transition driven by microbial life.
Conclusions:
- Microbial life played a pivotal role in shaping Earth's environment.
- The co-evolution of life and planet is evident through biogeochemical cycles.
- Understanding early metabolisms is crucial for comprehending Earth's history.
Related Concept Videos
02:06Conditions on Early Earth
91.5K
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
91.5K
02:35What is Evolutionary History?
36.4K
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
36.4K
02:22The Colonization of Land
34.3K
Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
34.3K
01:24Eukaryotic Evolution
33.5K
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
33.5K
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
42.7K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
42.7K
02:40The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
32.3K
The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both...
32.3K