Study uncovers potential origins of life in ancient hot springs

The research team investigated how the emergence of the first living systems from inert geological materials happened on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago.

Bizarre Fossils Are Neither Plant Nor Animal, But a 'Weird Fusion' of Life

It is neither animal, vegetable, nor mineral. It's not even a bacterium or fungi. It's called a Euglenid – and it's a weird fusion of a bunch of different living things.

Scientists discover alien planet debris buried deep under Earth's crust

Long ago, an alien planet crashed into Earth – causing a collision so big the debris formed the Moon and left mysterious remnants lodged deep in the Earth’s mantle.

Observing Fibonacci spirals in a 400 million-year-old fossil

Scientists now find that the earliest leafy plants did not have Fibonacci spirals, contradicting our initial assumptions on plant evolution.

Scientists discover the origin of water in our solar system

New findings suggest the water originates from the space between solar systems, billions of years before the birth of our sun.

Discovery of world's oldest DNA breaks record by one million years

Microscopic fragments of environmental DNA were found in Ice Age sediment in northern Greenland. Researchers discovered the fragments that are one million years older than the previous record for DNA.

4-Billion-Year-Old Ancient Piece of Earth's Crust Discovered

Australian researchers have discovered evidence of an approximately four billion-year-old piece of the Earth’s crust that exists beneath the South-West of Western Australia

Potentially Alive 830-Million-Year-Old Organisms Found in Ancient Rock

An incredible discovery has just revealed a potential new source for understanding life on ancient Earth.

The First Explosion of Life on Earth Made a Deep Impact

The Cambrian Explosion - around 541 million years ago - was when life and organisms really got going on planet Earth. Now new research has revealed how that explosion of life has left behind traces deep within Earth's mantle.

Nearby Supernovae Were Essential to Life on Earth

A new research article sheds light on another way that supernovae support life. Supernova activity in Earth’s neighbourhood may have led to more oxygen in the atmosphere. And oxygen is necessary for complex life.

Lightning played a vital role in life's origins on Earth

Lightning strikes were just as important as meteorites in creating the perfect conditions for life to emerge on Earth, according to new research. This shows that life could develop on Earth-like planets through the same mechanism.

We're surprisingly similar to Earth's first animals

According to a new study, 555-million-year-old oceanic creatures from the Ediacaran period share genes with today's animals, including humans.

Earth may have been wet since it formed

A new study finds that Earth's water may have come from materials that were present in the inner solar system at the time the planet formed - instead of far-reaching comets or asteroids delivering such water.

Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils

Geologists have discovered the first ancestor on the family tree that contains most animals today, including humans. The wormlike creature, Ikaria wariootia, is the earliest bilaterian.

Earth's oldest asteroid strike linked to 'big thaw'

Scientists have discovered Earth's oldest asteroid strike occurred at Yarrabubba, in outback Western Australia 2,2 billion years ago, and coincided with the end of a global deep freeze known as a Snowball Earth.