BBC Wildlife is a place where scientists study animals and plants. They look at how ancient life adapted to a world with more oxygen. Researchers found some microbes in Yellowstone National Park that help them understand how life evolved on Earth. These tiny organisms live in hot springs that are very hot, like 190 degrees Fahrenheit! The scientists studied two springs with different levels of oxygen to see how the microbes adapted. They found that the microbes in the spring with more oxygen had different genes that helped them survive in the oxygen-rich environment. This helps scientists understand how life changed when the Earth's atmosphere had more oxygen billions of years ago. The scientists, Bill Inskeep and Mensur Dlakic, have been studying these hot springs in Yellowstone for over 20 years. They study tiny organisms that live in extreme environments, like hot springs. By looking at these microbes, they can learn about how life has evolved on Earth. It's like solving a puzzle to understand how all living things have changed over time. Yellowstone National Park is a special place for this research. It's hard to recreate the exact conditions in a laboratory, so studying the hot springs in the park is important. The researchers say that studying these ancient microbes helps us understand how all living things, including us, have evolved to survive. Even though these tiny organisms might seem far away from us, they give us clues about how life on Earth has changed over billions of years. So, next time you see a tiny plant or insect, remember that it holds a big secret about how life has adapted to our planet. The world is full of amazing creatures just waiting to be discovered and studied. By learning about them, we can unlock the mysteries of our world and how all living things have changed and evolved over time.