Life on Earth may have originated twice, new study challenges LUCA theory

A study published in Science Advances challenges the long-held view that all life on Earth descends from a single common ancestor known as LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor). Researchers suggest that the transition from non-living matter to life occurred twice, independently — once for bacteria and once for archaea — even though all organisms share a universal genetic code. Underwater hydrothermal vents around four billion years ago are proposed as the cradles of both independent origins.

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