Life on Earth fell into perhaps the greatest symbiosis ever found between two competing but complementary systems of life, one that lasts to this day. One category of life was photosynthetic, converting water and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. The other was respiratory, converting sugar and oxygen back into carbon dioxide. At the time, these two forms of life were similar, both single-celled bacteria. Today this symbiosis is made up of very different forms of life. Trees, grass, and other plants are some of our modern photosynthesizers, while fungi and animals are some of our modern
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