Ancient microbial life used arsenic to thrive in a world without oxygen
- Written by Pieter Visscher, Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut
Purple microbial mats offer clues to how ancient life functioned. Pieter Visscher, CC BY-NDBillions of years ago, life on Earth was mostly just large slimy mats of microbes living in shallow water. Sometimes, these microbial communities made carbonate minerals that over many years cemented together to become layered limestone rocks called...
Read more: Ancient microbial life used arsenic to thrive in a world without oxygen