Astronomy / Space Earlier form of complex life on Earth..

[Para Handy]

This month's edition of Astronomy Now (March 2017) carries a report about a paper which suggests that there could have been a previous presence of complex life on Earth over 2 billion years ago, based upon studies of oxygen levels from that time.

They imply that there could have been two occurrences of complex life evolving, making it appear to not be a unique event and so enhances the chances of complex life elsewhere.

 

[afreeflyingsoul]

This month's edition of Astronomy Now (March 2017) carries a report about a paper which suggests that there could have been a previous presence of complex life on Earth over 2 billion years ago, based upon studies of oxygen levels from that time.

They imply that there could have been two occurrences of complex life evolving, making it appear to not be a unique event and so enhances the chances of complex life elsewhere.

This is a very difficult question to answer and the work behind it is pretty amazing! I hope we see huge jellies and communal behavior algae on young water worlds!

Also, for the curious, the NIH has a neat service where they make basic science information available for free, here's an overview of current understanding of cellular origin and evolution:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9841/