title: Evolution: when was life's first branch point?
abstract: A recent analysis of protein sequences from diverse organisms has estimated that all extant species share a common ancestor that lived only 2 billion years ago; but how can this be squared with the fossil evidence that complex cells existed up to 3.5 billion years ago?
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Golding
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D005580:Fossils; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins