Plants moved from sea to land and changed Earth forever

16 hours ago

Plants began to grow on land around 500 million years ago, transforming Earth's surface.
The earliest plantlike organisms were simple algae, which lived in water and performed photosynthesis.
The Great Oxygenation Event, caused by oxygen-producing organisms, allowed complex life to evolve.
The first true plants evolved from green algae around 470 million years ago, adapting to life in shallow water.
Early land plants developed features like a waxy cuticle, stronger cell walls, and rhizoids to survive on land.
The earliest land plants resembled modern mosses and liverworts, dating back to about 430 million years ago.
Plants played a crucial role in breaking down rocks into soil and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
Around 420 million years ago, plants evolved vascular tissue, allowing them to grow taller and stronger.
By 360 million years ago, vast forests of giant ferns and treelike plants covered much of Earth.
The development of seeds around 380 million years ago allowed plants to reproduce without water.
Flowering plants, or angiosperms, appeared around 140 million years ago, dominating the plant world today.

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