PRIOR TO THE OXYGENATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE BY PHOTOSYNTHETIC CYANOBACTERIA ABOUT 2.4 BILLION YEARS AGO THE EARLY EARTH WAS CHARACTERIZED BY A REDUCING ATMOSPHERE AND ANOXIC OCEAN. THE ANOXIC OCEAN PERSISTED THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE PRECAMBRIAN PREVENTING THE RISE OF THE ELECTROCHEMICALLY LUCRATIVE AEROBIC RESPIRATION.
$30,000FY2015National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
University Of Washington, Seattle WA