There is evidence that some microbial life had migrated from Earth's oceans to land by 2.75 billion years ago, though many scientists believe such land-based life was limited because the ozone¹ layer that shields against ultraviolet radiation did not form until hundreds of millions years later. But new research from the University of Washington suggests that early microbes might have been widespread on land, producing oxygen and weathering pyrite（黄铁矿）, an iron sulfide（硫酸盐） mineral, which released sulfur² and molybdenum（钼） into the oceans.

 

"This shows that life didn't just exist in a few little places on land. It was important on a global scale because it was enhancing the flow of sulfate from land into the ocean," said Eva Stüeken, a UW doctoral student in Earth and space sciences.

 

In turn, the influx³ of sulfur probably enhanced the spread of life in the oceans, said Stüeken, who is the lead author of a paper presenting the research published Sunday (Sept. 23) in Nature Geoscience. The work also will be part of her doctoral dissertation⁴（博士论文）.

 

Sulfur could have been released into sea water by other processes, including volcanic⁵ activity. But evidence that molybdenum was being released at the same time suggests that both substances were being liberated⁶ as bacteria slowly disintegrated⁷ continental⁸ rocks, she said.

 

If that is the case, it likely means the land-based microbes were producing oxygen well in advance of what geologists⁹ refer to as the "Great Oxidation Event" about 2.4 billion years ago that initiated¹⁰ the oxygen-rich atmosphere that fostered life as we know it.

 

In fact, the added sulfur might have allowed marine¹¹ microbes to consume methane¹², which could have set the stage for atmospheric¹³ oxygenation. Before that occurred, it is likely large amounts of oxygen were destroyed by reacting with methane that rose from the ocean into the air.

 

"It supports the theory that oxygen was being produced for several hundred million years before the Great Oxidation Event. It just took time for it to reach higher concentrations in the atmosphere," Stüeken said.

 

The research examined data on sulfur levels in 1,194 samples from marine sediment¹⁴ formations dating from before the Cambrian period began about 542 million years ago. The processes by which sulfur can be added or removed are understood well enough to detect biological contributions, the researchers said.

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