Question 1
Paper 2Easy6 marksA research group summarized its estimates for the ages of the first living cells and the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) in Figure 1. The estimates are ranges in Ga, where 1 Ga is one billion years before the present. The estimate for the first living cells was based on fossilized evidence in ancient seafloor hydrothermal-vent precipitates; the estimate for LUCA was based on conserved sequences from genomic analysis.
Using Figure 1, state the estimated age range for each of the first living cells and LUCA.
State the interval in which the two estimates overlap.
State what the fossilized evidence in ancient seafloor hydrothermal-vent precipitates indicates.
State what conserved sequences from genomic analysis indicate about LUCA.
Using Figure 1, state what the age estimates show about the time scale over which life has been evolving.