1st photosynthesis took place 1.25 billion years ago: Study
Based on reanalysis of the world's oldest algae fossils, Canada and US-based researchers have estimated the origins of photosynthesis to be 1.25 billion years old. The algae, discovered in 1990 in Canada, is believed to be the oldest known ancestor of plants. Its chloroplast must have been incorporated into microorganisms, whose DNA likely passed onto present day life, said researchers.