Mesophilic bacteria grow best at moderate temperatures STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
THE ancestor of all life on Earth probably preferred moderate temperatures, not scorching heat as some biologists believe. The finding could shed light on where such early organisms lived, but only if it is confirmed.
Everything alive today can be traced back to the last universal common ancestor (LUCA), a single-celled organism that appeared early in Earth’s history. LUCA emerged at least 3.9 billion years ago, and relatively soon after split into two groups called bacteria and archaea, which today make up the majority of all living species.…
