Strange microbes give clues to the ancestor of all advanced existence

Mysterious microbes residing in wetlands in China have helped to slender down when the ancestor of all animals and vegetation lived – and the oxygenation of Earth’s surroundings can have performed a key function in its emergence.

The new information brings us a step nearer to figuring out “an event which happened billions of years ago”, says Burak Avcı at Aarhus University in Denmark.

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