A variety of micro organisms have ventured out of the ocean and onto two volcanic calderas.


A variety of single-celled organisms have ventured out of the ocean and onto the rocky remains of two volcanic calderas, adding color to an otherwise monochromatic landscape. While the lack of breathable oxygen would be anathema to complex life forms like ourselves, this primitive atmosphere was a rich source of sustenance for these terrestrial vanguards. 770 million years after the formation of the Earth, billion years ago, the first life may have appeared in the form of simple, single-celled organisms. Bacteria and archaea may have even found a way to populate the otherwise sterile and calamitous surface. The atmosphere would likely have consisted of gases vented by volcanoes: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water vapor. There was probably no oxygen in the air at all.


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Photo credit: © Walter Myers / Stocktrek Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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