The Ancients The First Life on Earth
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Jan 1, 2026 
Tristan Hughes chats with Henry Gee, a palaeontologist and science writer, known for his accessible books on evolution. They dive into the origins of life on Earth, discussing the emergence of life from ancient stromatolites to the impact of hydrothermal vents. Henry explains the significance of the Great Oxidation, how oxygen unleashed the evolution of complex animals, and the ensuing Cambrian Explosion. He also touches on the rise of plants, the transition from water to land, and lessons from deep time that relate to today's climate challenges.
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Life Began Early In Rocky Hydrothermal Pores
- Life emerged very early on Earth, with widely accepted fossils at about 3.4 billion years ago in microbial stromatolite reefs.
- Henry Gee argues life likely began in hot, high-pressure hydrothermal vent pores where membranes and electrical potentials drove chemistry.
Photosynthesis Triggered The First Mass Extinction
- Photosynthesis by surface microbes turned sunlight into energy and produced free oxygen as a byproduct.
- That oxygen caused the first major mass extinction and set the stage for Earth's atmospheric change during the Great Oxidation Event.
Symbiosis Built The First Complex Cells
- Bacterial communities began sharing functions and genes, which led to internalized partnerships.
- This symbiosis produced eukaryotic cells with mitochondria and chloroplasts about 2.5 billion years ago.
