For decades, scientists believed that a vast stretch of Earth’s early history unfolded under stable and uneventful conditions. That assumption is now being challenged by an extraordinary discovery ...

Researchers recreated conditions from billions of years ago and found that Earth’s young atmosphere could make key molecules linked to life. These sulfur-rich compounds, including certain amino acids, ...

A team of researchers from the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences has found that early life breathed ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Plate tectonics may have ...

Earth’s atmosphere might have contributed to the origin of life more than previously thought. In a study published Dec. 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, CU Boulder researchers ...

How did life begin on Earth? While scientists have theories, they don’t yet fully understand the precise chemical steps that led to biology or when the first primitive life forms appeared. But what if ...

A drawing of an orange, cloud-covered planet against a black background During the Archean Eon, 4-2.5 billion years ago, Earth likely looked very different than it does today. Its hazy skies may have ...