Prokaryotes first appeared:
A) 10,000 years ago.
B) 1 mya.
C) 3.7 bya.
D) 65 mya.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prokaryotes are the oldest form of life on Earth, and they first appeared around 3.7 billion years ago (bya) during the Precambrian era. This was long before eukaryotes (organisms with complex cells, such as plants and animals) evolved, which occurred around 1.5 billion years ago. The other answer choices are not accurate as they either fall within a very recent time frame (10,000 years ago) or are irrelevant to the emergence of prokaryotes (65 mya, the time of the extinction of dinosaurs).

Prokaryotes First Appeared