Scientists pinpoint the single event that led to plant and animal life

How animal and plant life began-it appears it wasn't in a poof of smoke but a seemingly random chance meeting 1.9 billion years ago between an amoeba-like organism and a bacterium that had developed the power to use sunlight to break down water and liberate oxygen.

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Scientists have identified the single chance encounter about 1.9 billion years ago to which almost all life on Earth owes its existence.

It saw an amoeba-like organism engulf a bacterium that had developed the power to use sunlight to break down water and liberate oxygen.

The bacterium was probably intended as prey but instead it became incorporated into its attacker’s body – turning it into the ancestor of every tree, flowering plant and seaweed on Earth. The encounter meant life on the planet could evolve from bacterial slime into the more complex forms we see today. “That single event transformed the evolution of life on Earth,” said Paul Falkowski, professor of biogeochemistry and bio-physics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “The descendants of that tiny organism transformed our atmosphere, filling it with the oxygen needed for animals and, eventually, humans to evolve.”

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

no no no ,what came first, life ? Or the amoeba? or the bacteria? last time I checked both those things are alive . Silly scientists ,sometimes they sound like toddlers ,Lordy

I would yank these guys credentials for one year,make them go back to school

reply to post by karl 12


Your title is misleading. The Amoeba-like organism and the bacterium themselves were "life". All you need is a re-title and you're good.

Interesting article. However, how can anyone say that this is, without a doubt, how anything happened? The media too often states theory as fact.



[edit on 16-11-2008 by Tinman67]

hahaha! no evidence whatsoever!

and they still dont explain how biogenesis takes place!

these people are so desperate to cling on to this outdated theory they keep coming up with prize comedy haha

the fact that even the most simple celled organism is more complex than a space shuttle,

its called irreducible complexity

the information contained within a cell is beyond the stroke of chance

there is not a shred of evidence for this baloney and yet it is pumped into our school systems like sewer water, and sold to the kids as lemonade

not only that, but the theory of evolution is used as a basis for so many goverment policies

evolution is the excuse for so many nwo policies......coming to a city near you

i defy anyone to present evidence for this faith

keep it gentle and respectful my fellow ATS'ers

Originally posted by invisiblewoman
no no no ,what came first, life ? Or the amoeba? or the bacteria? last time I checked both those things are alive . Silly scientists ,sometimes they sound like toddlers ,Lordy

Ha ha silly me-I have duly altered the name of the thread

Interesting article though!

reply to post by karl 12


You might also want to check your OP. Your typing says 1.9 million but the quoted article section states 1.9 billion.

Oops.

Originally posted by mproject
these people are so desperate to cling on to this outdated theory they keep coming up with prize comedy haha

P Thanks for the reply-are there any other scientificaly viable alternatives out there then?

Originally posted by AshleyD
reply to post by karl 12

 

You might also want to check your OP. Your typing says 1.9 million but the quoted article section states 1.9 billion.

Oops.

Oh dear what a day-many thanks for pointing that out

Ummm this is not breaking news...

My 12th grade book (2nd year Biology in high school-Portugal) includes these theories and I have to study them for a test very soon...

This is called Endosymbiosis. The Mitocondrias and chloroplasts were originally bacterias engulfed by some kind of "Amoeba"

Another theory is Autogenics or Autoeugenics if I'm correct and it basicly says that the mitocondrias and chloroplasts developed inside the "Amoeba".

The endosymbiosis is more accepted, the DNA of the mitochondria and chloroplasts is more similar to existing bacteria with similar specialities (Respiratory and photosynthesis).

For the Autogenic theory to be more acceptable, the original DNA from the "Amoeba" would have to be similar to the DNA of the mitocondrias and chloroplasts, which is not the case.

Pardon my English.

Edit:

Added interesting links:
Endosymbiotic Theory




[edit on 16/11/2008 by kingsnake]

well everytime I see a we know how life began article I jump on it ! who wouldn't like to know that?! I just wish they wouldn't keep coming up with this okay so an amoeba saw a sexy looking bacteria story

It's not you it's them

Ok after a more in depth analysis of the article and after my youthfull excitement of being able to put to use something I learned at School a week ago, calmed down.

I discover that the article is just about a bunch of geologists who supposedly found the time when this amazing phenomena happened

[edit on 16/11/2008 by kingsnake]

Originally posted by invisiblewoman
well everytime I see a we know how life began article I jump on it ! who wouldn't like to know that?! I just wish they wouldn't keep coming up with this okay so an amoeba saw a sexy looking bacteria story

It's not you it's them

Amoeba porn-and then 1.9 billion years later ..this




Great stuff!

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

reply to post by karl 12


ROTFLMAO! Ah Homosapiens ! making bacteria look sexier by the minute!

Originally posted by karl 12

Originally posted by mproject
these people are so desperate to cling on to this outdated theory they keep coming up with prize comedy haha

P Thanks for the reply-are there any other scientificaly viable alternatives out there then?

absolutely friend,

check out drdino.com, click on downloads and watch the stream on age of the earth (great vid)

sit down, grab some food and enjoy
it has an intro, but bare with that, just wait for the science its amazing

also, answersingenesis.org is a great site for alternative theories

hope that helps

p.s. karl man haha! crackin me up!

[edit on 16-11-2008 by mproject]

I don't know why the OP needs to re-title the thread. He accurately says ‘plant and animal life' which is different to that of single cell amoeba or bacterium life. 'Animal' and 'plant' are categorizations of life, and the thread title specifically relates to their inception on this planet.

And can we please not turn this into the usual frivolous religious debacle. I’m tired of that same old boring anti-evolutionary rhetoric coming from the irreducible complexity camp.