Primordial life probably survived on "Snowball Earth" because the planet was covered in ice.

Key Highlights :

1. Life on Earth faced a stern test during the Cryogenian Period.

2. The Cryogenian Period lasted from 720 million to 635 million years ago.

3. During the Cryogenian Period, habitable marine environments were more widespread than previously known.

4. The findings support the idea that it was more of a "Slushball Earth" where the earliest forms of complex life—basic multicellular organisms—endured even at mid-latitudes previously thought to have been frozen solid.

     In the early to mid-700s million years ago, Earth was frozen over with runaway glaciation. It looked from space like a shimmering white snowball. Life somehow managed to survive during this time called "Snowball Earth." A new study offers a deeper understanding as to why.

     The study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a combination of computer simulations and ancient DNA to analyze the genetic diversity of a group of microorganisms that lived during the Cryogenian Period. The Cryogenian Period lasted from 720 million to 635 million years ago and was characterized by extreme glaciation.

     The researchers found that the genetic diversity of the microorganisms was low during the early stages of the Cryogenian Period, when the Earth was still frozen. However, as the Cryogenian Period progressed and the Earth started to thaw, the genetic diversity of the microorganisms increased. This increase in genetic diversity was likely due to the increase in competition and the spread of new mutations.

     The study provides new insights into the mechanisms that led to the evolution of complex life during the Cryogenian Period. It also suggests that genetic diversity is an important factor in the survival of organisms during times of environmental change.

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