Resume de l’article : Coup de vieux pour LUCA, le dernier ancêtre commun universel

According to an article on Sciences et Avenir, the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) appeared much earlier than previously thought. LUCA, the most recent organism from which all current life on Earth descended, was originally estimated to have existed between 3.5 and 3.8 billion years ago. However, new research using genomic data suggests that LUCA may have actually appeared around 4.5 billion years ago, not long after the formation of the Earth. This challenges the traditional view of a « late start » for life on our planet.

In response to the question, the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is now believed to have appeared around 4.5 billion years ago, based on new research using genomic data.