The First Billion Years: When Did Life Emerge?

Research Article| August 01, 2006 The First Billion Years: When Did Life Emerge? J. William Schopf J. William Schopf 1Department of Earth & Space Sciences, Institute of Geophysics & Planetary Physics (Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life), and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA E-mail: schopf@ess.ucla.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J. William Schopf 1Department of Earth & Space Sciences, Institute of Geophysics & Planetary Physics (Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life), and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA E-mail: schopf@ess.ucla.edu Publisher: Mineralogical Society of America First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1811-5217 Print ISSN: 1811-5209 © 2006 by the Mineralogical Society of America Elements (2006) 2 (4): 229–233. https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.2.4.229 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J. William Schopf; The First Billion Years: When Did Life Emerge?. Elements 2006;; 2 (4): 229–233. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.2.4.229 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyElements Search Advanced Search Abstract There are three principal lines of evidence from which we can infer the timing of the origin of life on Earth: stromatolites, microfossils, and carbon isotope data. All indicate that life emerged earlier than ∼3500 million years ago, but the details and exact timing of life's beginnings remain unknown. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.