But it was nothing like the atmosphere we knowtoday.

不过这一点不像我们今天熟知的大气层

This was a witches' brew of carbon dioxide, methaneand steam

这是二氧化碳，甲烷和有毒的硫化氢蒸汽

laced with poisonous hydrogen sulphide.

聚合在一起

There was no sign of the gas we humans depend upon, oxygen.

这里面没有人类赖以生存的氧气

This lethal mix was to endure for something like two billion years

这些致命的混合物孕育某些东西长达二十亿年

until primitive life began to transform the atmosphere.

直到某些意料之外的事物开始改变大气层

The sea here is full of life,

这里的大海里全是生物

but these creatures aren't what I've come for.

但这些生物不是我来此的目的

It's these curious lumps I'm interested in.

这些奇怪的块状物才是我感兴趣的

They're important because every single plant and animal,

他们很重要，因为每一个单独的动植物

in fact, every single person on the planet,

实际上，地球上每个人

owes their existence to them.

和它们都有联系

These bizarre blobs

这些奇异的小圆块

Look Like boulders washed up on the foreshore but they're not.

就像海滩上被冲刷的大圆石实际上并非如此

They're actually alive.

它们是活着的

These lumps are one of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

这些块状物是地球上最早的物种之一

They're called stromatolites.

叫做叠层石