Early plant expansion timeline revised

Early land plants may have begun reshaping Earth's surface much earlier than previously thought — pushing the timeline back by about 30 million years, according to a new study.

The findings, resulting from research by scientists from China, the United States and the United Kingdom, were published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Ecology &Evolution.

The expansion of early land plants across terrestrial environments has long been a focal point in research on planetary evolution because of its role in raising oxygen levels and transforming Earth's habitats, paving the way for animal evolution.