The Earth

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Spark of evolution found in ancient African soil

The Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago and, until now, scientists believed that oxygen began accumulating in the planet's atmosphere about 2.3 billion years ago.

Using advanced technology, Crowe and the other scientists studied the chemical composition of the soil and used mathematical models to determine that trace amounts of oxygen began to appear three billion years ago — 700 million years earlier than believed.

Article: http://goo.gl/TFhj6E