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Alright, first off, I am not certain if this is the correct place to create this thread so if it isn't the right one then I apologize. I'm new :D

Anyways, I digress.

A couple of days ago I was watching this really interesting documentary, the Journey of Life, the first episode, concerning The Seas. In other words, the start of all life and one of the biggest events, the Oxygen Disaster (It was called something like that if I recall correctly).

Anyways, here's my thought. The stromatolites, the first organisms, created almost a mass extinction by releasing a poison, oxygen. The question is really simple however.

How would life evolve if stromatolites never came to existance? If life would evolve without the oxygen? Would everything be doomed to go extinct and would Earth remain as an empty rock floating in space? Or would life adept to the circumstances and could we see an entire alien planet?

Now I know this is a bit ... early, since the Precambrian eon wasn't exactly yesterday, but give some thoughts, some ideas.

My thanks in advance.
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