The Beginning....
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"The Earth was formed over 4.6 billion years ago via countless meters hitting the surface of the planet" (History Channel, 2009). During these first billion years the earth was a very different place. The lack of oxygen in the air, fragile land masses, a lack of a proper protection from the sun, and constant volcanic eruptions made life on earth virtually impossible. According to Reece, Campbell, Cain, Urry, Minorsky, Wasserman & et al, 2011, during the first 2-3 billion years, the earth underwent several changes that made life possible. The first thing that accrued was a massive freeze of the earth. Among the issues mentioned above, the key reason for a lack of life was simple that the earth was too warm. This massive ice age, unlike the most recent one studied by scientists, covered the entire earth, and created pressure beneath the Earth’s crust. Eventually, due to plate tectonics, the movement of the plates that make up the Earth’s crust, heat trapped beneath the surface was able to escape, releasing the built up pressure and melting the ice. Although it is unclear what caused the freeze; or even the water on the planet; what is clear is that the first life appeared in the green oceans of this primitive Earth ( History Channel, 2009 ).