How changing levels of iron shaped the evolution of life on Earth – and why alien hunters should take note

By Hal Drakesmith, Professor of Iron Biology, University of Oxford
Jon Wade, Associate Professor of Planetary Materials, University of Oxford

Our red blood is full of iron. We need iron for growth and for immunity. It is even added to foodstuffs, such as cereals, to ensure that there is enough of this nutrient in the diet to prevent iron deficiency.

However, on a very different scale, during the development of life on planet Earth over billions of years, iron deficiency may have stimulated evolution. According to our new research, published in…

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