This episode explores the mystery of how exactly life began on our planet by focusing on hearty microbes that flourish in the most inhospitable places. These super-tough microorganisms hold clues to the planet's first primitive life forms.

The resources below provide supplementary articles and media related to the origins of life on Earth, including examples of organisms that thrive in hostile environments.

		The Rise of Oxygen Article for grades 6 through 12 Oxygen is so essential that it's hard to imagine Earth without it. Yet it wasn't in the atmosphere for the first half of our planet's 4.5-billion-year history. Trace the profound effects of its rise.
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		Looking for Life in Antarctica … and on Mars Article for grades 9 through 12 If you want an idea of the conditions on Mars, journey to Antarctica. Take a close look at the work of an astrobiologist studying Antarctica's valleys, the "most Mars-like places on Earth."
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		Deep Sea Vents Gallery Exhibition Materials for grades 9 through 12 Take a virtual stroll through the Deep Sea Vents Gallery, which is part of the museum's Hall of Planet Earth. You'll see pictures and videos of some of our planet's most ancient forms of life.
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		It's Aliiive—Or Is It? Activity for grades 6 through 12 Scientists have found life everywhere they've looked on Earth—even at the bottom of the ocean, where conditions are extreme. Investigate one deep sea vent's thriving ecosystem.
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		Is It Alive? Activity for grades 6 through 12 Despite extreme temperatures and the absence of sunlight, you can find a variety of life on the ocean floor. Take a look at the amazing organisms that thrive in this unlikely environment.
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		Retrieving a Stromatolite from the Sahara Desert Article for grades 9 through 12 Why did museum scientists travel to the Sahara to retrieve a boulder? This stromatolite was built by microbes, the only life that existed on Earth until about a billion years ago.
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