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From fossil evidence, it appears that life may have existed on Earth as early as 3.5 billion years ago. This suggests that life must have evolved sometime during Earth's tumultuous first billion years. How did life evolve? And what did early forms of life look like? Some scientists believe that the answers may be hiding in our cells, in molecules known as RNA.

Next: What's so special about RNA?

To learn more about Earth's early history, check out Links to Learn More.