Researchers are suggesting that the surface of Earth “was likely covered by a global ocean 3.2 billion years ago,” stated Yahoo News. Studies show that Earth may have looked post-apocalyptic. Boswell Wing, an associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences stated, “The history of life on Earth tracks available niches. If you’ve got a waterworld, a world covered by ocean, then dry niches are just not going to be available.” This study also feeds into another ongoing debate: Was the planet much hotter than it is today? Lead author Benjamin Johnson said, “There was seemingly no way forward on that debate. We thought that trying something different might be a good idea.”