Earth’s first bacteria made their own sunscreen

Monday, October 26, 2015 - 10:30 in Earth & Climate

Earth in the days when life was just beginning had no protective ozone layer, so light-dependent, iron-oxidizing bacteria formed iron minerals around themselves to protect them from damaging ultraviolet rays. In this way, living beings were able to survive in the rough environment of 3-4 billion years ago.

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