00:00Earth wasn't always as it is today, and before the Great Oxidation Event, or GOE, our planet's
00:08atmosphere was very different. Still, at some point, cyanobacteria evolved to release O2 as a
00:14metabolic byproduct, changing the evolution of life forever. Now, experts say that microbial
00:19life in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin may provide clues as to how early life adapted to
00:24oxygen. They found that microbes living in the octopus and conch springs are genetically similar
00:29to their ancient counterparts, and they form gelatinous streamer structures and thrive in
00:33superheated water upwards of 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The wild thing is that each of these springs host
00:39wildly different environments. Octopus spring has a high-oxygen, low-sulfide content, while
00:44conch spring is reversed with high-sulfide, low-oxygen. This provides clues as to how organisms adapted to
00:50low-oxygen environments as Earth's atmosphere was changing, with early microbes likely having
00:55developed strategies to handle traces of oxygen before it became abundant.
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