Michael Lynch, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University and Vaughn Cooper, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, examine the origins and trajectory of early microbial life (EML) and discuss the collaborative report between the American Academy of Microbiology and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which explores the journey of life on Earth, from non-living chemical compounds to early unicellular life, to the vast diversity of organisms we see today. This episode is brought to you by the American Academy of Microbiology, a think tank at American Society for Microbiology and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has been dedicated to advancing scientific discovery for the past 25 years.

Links for This Episode:

• Project Report Early Microbial Life: Our Past, Present and Future.
• Article: The Great Oxidation Event: How Cyanobacteria Changed Life.
• MTM Podcast: From Hydrothermal Vents to Cold Seeps: How Bacteria Sustain Ocean Life With Nicole Dubilier.
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