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LUCA: Last Universal Common Ancestor

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LUCA: Last Universal Common Ancestor

3.75 Billion years ago (+/- 100 million)
DNA, Ribosomes, and ATP

Our common ancester and not even the first DNA Life. From chemical reactions before 4 billion years ago to replicating molecules about 4 billion years ago to DNA based life then to LUCA, the only DNA based branch to survive. Meaning, DNA based life likely started before LUCA, and LUCA is the only branch to survive the test of time. From LUCA to humans, RNA and DNA are essentially the same as today. They serve as the tools for genetic information storage, transmission, and expression through prokaryotes to eukaryotes, underpinning the diversity and complexity of life on Earth. The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is estimated to have lived approximately 3.65 to 3.85 billion years ago. It is the organism from which all current life on Earth descended from. Your greatest grandparents.

Imagined image: LUCA in a variety of shapes that they might have resembled, set in an ancient, deep-sea hydrothermal vent environment.

  • Domain: Pre-Domain > Kingdom: Not applicable
    (Common ancestor to the Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota kingdoms)

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LUCA: Last Universal Common Ancestor.

About 3.75 billion years lived LUCA. Not first life, but the common ancestor of all life today. LUCA used DNA, had ribosomes, used ATP, and had translation machinery. It lived in high-temperature environments.
Subject: Evolution.
By 3.75 billion years LUCA was emerging. Not first life, but the common ancestor of all life today. LUCA likely used DNA for data storage, had ribosomes to build life, used ATP for fuel, and had translation machinery (tRNAs and enzymes) to convert code into function. It lived in hydrothermal or high-temperature environments.

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