TIME

First Life

At least ≈ 3.5 billion years ago

A cut slab of banded, wavy layered rock in cream, gray, and yellow tones, with white mineral at one corner.

Earth & LifeFirst Life

The oldest evidence of life.

Ancient rocks preserve evidence of microbial life. The oldest direct evidence is stromatolites, layered mounds built by microbes, in rocks about 3.5 billion years old.

Older chemical signals, possibly 4.1 billion years old, are still debated. The origin of life itself remains unknown.

At least ≈ 3.5 billion years ago, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.

Era
Earth & Life
Period
At least ≈ 3.5 billion years ago
Edition
1/1
Status
Not Released
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Background artwork

Cinematic background showing microbial mats in a shallow early sea. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. The exact appearance of the earliest life is unknown.