Early life may not have needed much oxygen

[seeder 31,230]

Evolution turned on its head: Early life on Earth DIDN'T need lots of oxygen to survive

Sea sponges thrive in water with only 0.5% of present day oxygen levels

Scientists argue that early primitive life may also have needed little oxygen

The findings suggest that the rise of animals could have created oxygen-rich oceans, rather than oxygen-rich oceans creating animals

The origin of complex creatures is one of science's greatest mysteries.

The widely-accepted theory is that complex life evolved because oxygen levels began to rise around 630 million years ago.

But a new study claims that most primitive animals may have flourished in water that contained almost no oxygen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2562224/Evolution-turned-head-Early-life-Earth-DIDNT-need-lots-oxygen-survive.html#ixzz2tmCN9dXk

[Taun 15,730]

Makes sense... Just look at the horseshoe crab... totally alien critter... Copper based blood...

[seeder 31,230]

Plus there's this

Oxygen may not be the staple of modern complex life that scientists once thought. Until now, the only life forms known to live exclusively in anoxic conditions were viruses, bacteria and Archaea. But in a new study, scientists have discovered three new multicellular marine species that appear to have never lived in aerobic conditions, and never metabolized oxygen.

Most significantly, the new species do not have mitochondria, the cellular organelles that use oxygen and sugar to generate the cell’s energy. Instead, the new loriciferans have organelles that resemble hydrogenosomes, which are used by some single-celled eukaryotes to generate energy without oxygen. However, this is the first time that these organelles have been observed in multicellular organisms

http://phys.org/news189836027.html#jCp

[Ryu 4,187]

Why is this such a revelation?

There are even anaerobic bacteria that don't need breathable air like we do. There are life forms in the ocean that thrive on the acidic and scalding waters around volcanic vents.

I guess when I look at all the various environments that are inhospitable to us but perfect for other creatures, I just am not sure why science sees this as something that turns everything upside-down.

Actually, wasn't microbes even discovered inside volcanoes, like near lava and all?