Zeroing in on the origins of Earth’s ‘single most important evolutionary innovation’: A new study shows oxygenic photosynthesis likely evolved between 3.4 and 2.9 billion years ago.
Some time in Earth’s early history, the planet took a turn toward habitability when a group of enterprising microbes known as cyanobacteria evolved oxygenic photosynthesis — the ability to turn light and water into energy, releasing oxygen in the process. This evolutionary moment made it possible for oxygen to eventually accumulate in the atmosphere and […]