When did photosynthesis evolve?

Answer 1

Plants that mutated to have photosynthesis were able to survive and therefore reproduce, passing on it's genes. Plants (assuming they are not carnivorous) that didn't have photosynthesis died, as they cannot move to collect food, so it cannot reproduce and pass on it's genes.

Answer 2

Chlorophyll and the whole structure of the photosynthetic process are so complex that they could clearly not have evolved. Those that believe it evolved obviously don't understand the most basic principles of statistics, genetics and chemistry; the photosynthetic process was, as we all know, designed by a very intelligent Engineer, together with all the other very complex and wonderful processes of life-

Nah, just joking. The current theory is that certain unicellular protists (algae) were some of the first to photosynthesise, and that later protists and plant cells adopted them as chloroplasts in a process called endosymbiosis. Under this theory, the algae lost a lot of their function across generations, including the ability to reproduce on their own, and only retained the features the parent cells required of them—mainly photosynthesis. They still have their own genome separate from the parent cell, though, which organelles that originated within a cell doesn't usually possess. Of course, you could always just say the Designer made it that way to make us ask questions. It's your call. :P

Answer 3

Photosynthesis is estimated to have evolved around 3.5 billion years ago in early single-celled organisms. This process likely evolved as a way for these organisms to harness energy from sunlight and convert it into usable forms.

Answer 4

That was million years ago. It completely changed the atmosphere

Answer 5

3.5 billion years ago