Hot news from two billion years ago: plankton actually moved mountains

Our planet's geology shaped life on Earth. But now scientists reveal it worked the other way around too

The mighty forces that created our planet's mountains in ancient days got some unexpected help, scientists have discovered. Their research shows some of Earth's greatest ranges got a boost from primitive lifeforms whose remains lubricated movements of rock slabs and allowed them to pile up to form mountains.

If it had not been for life on Earth, the surface of our planet would have been flatter and a lot more boring, say scientists at Aberdeen and Glasgow universities where the research was carried out.