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'Earth was purple, not green': The shocking truth about our planet’s original color

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

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Firefly A prehistoric Earth bathed in a surreal violet glow. The planet's surface is covered in vast

Purple Earth

Before plants ruled, Earth may have glowed violet. The first life forms used retinal instead of chlorophyll, absorbing green light and reflecting red and blue—turning the planet an eerie purple.

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Firefly A microscopic scene showing ancient purple microbes absorbing sunlight. The microbes are glo

Retinal Rival

Chlorophyll wasn’t always king. Retinal, a simpler molecule found in some microbes today, dominated ancient photosynthesis. Evolutionary competition may have forced this purple pigment into the shadows.

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Firefly Vibrant salt lakes like the Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea, teeming with purple, light-harv

Saltwater Clues

Microbes in the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea still use retinal-based photosynthesis. These surviving purple organisms may be living fossils from a time when Earth shimmered in violet hues.

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Oxygen Shift

Retinal thrived in Earth’s oxygen-poor past, but chlorophyll changed everything. The Great Oxygenation Event wiped out many retinal users, making way for green plants—and a total planetary makeover.

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Firefly An alien planet orbiting a distant star, its surface radiating a purple hue. Futuristic tele

Exoplanet Hints

Scientists think distant worlds could still be ruled by purple life. If retinal was Earth’s first light-harvesting system, why not elsewhere? Alien biospheres may glow in unexpected colors.

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Firefly A magnified view of Halobacteria thriving in extreme environments. The microbes glow purple

Microbe Legacy

Halobacteria, modern descendants of retinal-powered life, thrive in extreme conditions. Their survival hints that ancient purple organisms once dominated vast, sunlit waters before chlorophyll took over.

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Firefly A symbolic clash between green and purple life forms. Microbes emitting green and violet lig

Color Wars

Chlorophyll won, but why? It absorbs more light efficiently, outcompeting retinal organisms. Yet retinal was first, hinting at an ancient evolutionary showdown between green and purple life.

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Firefly A cosmic scene with multiple exoplanets glowing in purple hues, orbiting distant stars. Spac

Cosmic Twins

Astrobiologists say purple planets might be easier to spot than green ones. If alien life uses retinal, exoplanets could shine with a violet glow—making them prime targets for space telescopes.

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Firefly A futuristic Earth with pockets of extreme environments glowing violet. Microbes thrive in h

Future Purple?

Could retinal-based life make a comeback? In extreme environments on Earth—and maybe beyond—microbes using this ancient system still persist. If conditions shift, purple life may rise again.

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