All Life on Earth Traces Back to One Ancient Ancestor-And It's Way Older Than We Knew
Indian Defence Review • • science
Key Points:
- New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution has revised the timeline for the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), placing its emergence around 4.2 billion years ago during the Hadean Eon, significantly earlier than the previously estimated 4 billion years ago.
- The study used advanced genetic modeling to analyze modern species' genetic sequences and mutation rates, revealing that LUCA was an active, adaptive organism with traits like a primitive immune system, indicating early interactions with viruses.
- LUCA likely existed in a hostile environment marked by volcanic activity and asteroid impacts but was already influencing its surroundings and coexisting with other microbes, contributing to early ecological recycling processes.
- While LUCA represents the earliest traceable ancestor of all cellular life, the exact