, Aug. 12 -- Scientists have found evidence suggesting that the first free-living cells on Earth may have emerged independently in two different forms - the ancestors of bacteria and archaea.

An international team led by biologists at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) examined the chemical reactions and enzymes involved in the earliest stages of life. Their findings, published in Science Advances, offer new clues about how the first cells produced essential substances and obtained energy.

The researchers believe that around 4 billion years ago, two distinct types of primitive cells may have developed as life began moving beyond hydrothermal vents.

"We would see two very different kinds of cells emerging, pioneer bacteria and p...