Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The first complex cells
about 1.8 billion years ago · The Earth's seas
In short
Complex cells, called eukaryotic cells, have a nucleus that holds the DNA and lots of small inside parts with different jobs. Scientists think some of these parts were once free-living bacteria that got inside another cell and stayed there. Mitochondria, the ‘power stations’ of the cell, still keep a small DNA of their own. The oldest fossils of these cells are about 1.8 billion years old.
Why it matters Complex cells are the basis of animals, plants, fungi and many single-celled organisms.
Source: University of California Museum of Paleontology, “Fossil Record of the Eukaryota”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
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about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 12 of 25about 66 million years ago
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-first-complex-cells/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class