The earliest fossil evidence of life on earth dates to 3.7 billion years ago. The earth has just formed from the accretion of rocks and debris held together by gravity. Missing Link In Origins-of-life Discovered Chemistry And Physics Earth Old Rock Picture Life began on earth in the early precambrian, 4.1 bya, when earth had just started cooling. The beginning of life on earth . How did life begin and evolve on earth, and has it evolved elsewhere in the solar system? The first traces of life recorded on earth are thought to be as old as 4.2 billion years, indicating that life may have evolved within 200 million years after the first appearance of liquid water. The earliest evidence for life on earth arises among the oldest rocks still preserved on the planet. The beginnings of life on earth life arose naturally through a long succession of chemical steps that were bound to take place under the conditions that prevailed on earth four billion years ago christian de duve adva...