Life begins
The first cells in the early ocean
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The oldest traces are chemical: carbon isotopes in rocks from Isua in Greenland, and stromatolites in the Pilbara region of Australia around 3.5 billion years old. Hydrothermal vents on the sea floor are among the most promising candidates for life's cradle, since they supply energy, mineral surfaces and chemical gradients at once. That life appeared so soon after Earth became habitable is one of the strongest arguments that life may not be rare in the universe.
For children
Somewhere in the warm ocean, small molecules began making copies of themselves. Eventually they wrapped themselves in a tiny membrane — and the first cell existed. Every living thing you know, from ants to people, descends from cells like those.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org