The first organisms
Bacteria have been the very first organisms to live on Earth. They made their appearance 3 billion years ago in the waters of the first oceans. At first, there were only anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria (the primordial atmosphere was virtually oxygen-free). The first autotrophic bacteria, very similar to the current cyanobacteria, appeared approximately 2 billion years ago. Photosynthesis occurred in these organisms and this is how the atmosphere was enriched with precious oxygen. Cyanobacteria or blue algae made the primitive atmosphere breathable and allowed life to colonise the lands above sea level.
Man has just recently become aware of the existence of bacteria because they were too small to be observed or studied before the microscope was invented.
Special reports
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
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31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
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8 March 2021
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
27 February 2021
In search of the riders of icebergs
International Polar Bear Day, set up by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation, was held on 27 February. The aim…
8 January 2021
Smart as a crow
Some people call them "monkeys with feathers" because they can do clever things comparable to many of our monkey cousins.…
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
-
31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
-
27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
-
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
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Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
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13 May 2011
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
-
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
-
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
-
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...