Tiny zircon crystals are revealing that Earth’s earliest history may have included surprisingly complex tectonic activity.

New method reveals chemical signs of early microbial life in ancient Earth rocks, showing photosynthesis evolved much earlier than believed.

Beginning two billion years of Earth’s history, the amount of oxygen was not sufficient, but the atmosphere was rich in ...

The first life-forms on Earth drew energy from sunlight filtering down into the ocean depths. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Researchers say ...

Geologists from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a breakthrough in understanding how Earth's early continents formed during the Archean time, more than 2.5 billion years ago. Their findings ...

Four billion years ago, our then stripling sun radiated only 70 to 75 percent as much energy as it does today. Other things on Earth being equal, with so little energy reaching the planet’s surface, ...

One broken piece of quartz in a physics lab could shed light on the history of life on Earth and the search for other habitable worlds. Today, most life as we know it depends on oxygen. Specifically, ...

Continental clues: Modern continental rocks carry chemical signatures from the very start of our planet’s history, challenging current theories about plate tectonics. Researchers have made a new ...

A recent study investigates how polyester microdroplets, potential precursors to modern cells, could form under realistic early Earth conditions. Researchers pushed these conditions to the limits, ...