Origin and evolution of life

The discovery of evidence for ancient sea-floor hydrothermal deposits on Mars identifies an area on the planet that may offer clues about the origin of life on Earth.

Life on Earth may have begun after meteorites splashed down and leached essential elements into warm little ponds.

Radioactive bombardment creates a surprising result — a potential solvent for early life.

Human activities could change the pace of evolution, similar to what occurred 66 million years ago when a giant asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, leaving modern birds as their only descendants.

Scientists have discovered traces of life more than half-a-billion years old that could change the way we think about how all animals evolved on earth.

A new study suggests that red dwarf stars might not emit enough UV light to kick-start the biological processes most familiar to our planet.

New fossils push back oldest examples of bio-mineralization.

Fossil remains recovered from 70 to 100 million-year-old rocks in southwestern Tanzania.

A new study sheds new light on the origin, timing and habitat in which the chloroplast first evolved.

It's the most abundant protein on Earth — what did Rubisco look like early on?