QUOTE: “'Already at 3.2 billion years ago, we see evidence of differences in mat-forming microbial communities suggesting that some were likely better adapted for life in the ocean versus on land,” says Homann."

DAVID: This just adds to the evidence that life started very early on the newly formed Earth.

dhw: It also adds to the evidence that the earliest forms of life were possessed of a mechanism that enabled them to adapt to different environments. Note the term “communities”. All multicellular adaptations and innovations require intelligent cooperation between cells. That may be a sign that the intelligence actually comes from the cells.

Or the originator of life implanted intelligent instructions for adaptations, which are not speciation.