18/09/2025
If you are a pagan, then you Will know that from ancient times the teachings were that we are all connected.
As I frequently say: Science catches up eventually!
NB we share 50% of our DNA with snails.
THE EARTH IS Sacred treat it with care as we literally walk on the bones of our ancestors (think chalk)
The concept of LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor) refers to the most recent organism from which all life on Earth is descended. This hypothetical entity is believed to have lived approximately 3.5 to 4.5 billion years ago, during the early stages of life on our planet.
LUCA represents the point in evolutionary history where all life on Earth shared a common ancestor, giving rise to the vast diversity of life forms we see today.
LUCA was likely a single-celled microorganism, possibly similar to modern prokaryotes like bacteria or archaea.
Scientists believe that LUCA's genetic material has been passed down through generations, with its descendants evolving and diversifying over billions of years.
Studying LUCA helps scientists understand the early evolution of life on Earth, the origins of cellular complexity, and the development of metabolic processes.
Scientists use phylogenetic trees and comparative genomics to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between different organisms and infer the characteristics of LUCA. The study of LUCA is closely tied to the origin of life on Earth, with researchers exploring how simple molecules gave rise to complex biological systems.
Understanding LUCA and the origins of life on Earth can also inform the search for life elsewhere in the universe, providing insights into the conditions and processes that might support life on other planets.