Earth has been habitable for 4.3 billion years, and the earliest rock record indicates the
presence of a microbial biosphere by at least 3.4 billion years ago—and disputably earlier …

Abstract The Archean era (4 to 2.5 billion years ago, Ga) yielded rocks that include the
oldest conclusive traces of life as well as many controversial occurrences. Carbonaceous …

The second ExoMars mission will be launched in 2020 to target an ancient location
interpreted to have strong potential for past habitability and for preserving physical and …

As the search for Earth-like exoplanets gathers pace, in order to understand them, we need
comprehensive theories for how planetary atmospheres form and evolve. Written by two well …

Stratigraphy provides insights into the evolution and dynamics of the Earth System over its
long history. With recent developments in Earth System science, changes in Earth System …

Fossilized lipids preserved in sedimentary rocks offer singular insights into the Earth's
palaeobiology. These 'biomarkers' encode information pertaining to the oxygenation of the …

The discovery of the Archaea and the proposal of the three-domains 'universal'tree, based
on ribosomal RNA and core genes mainly involved in protein translation, catalysed new …

The origin of oxygenic photosynthesis was the most important metabolic innovation in Earth
history. It allowed life to generate energy and reducing power directly from sunlight and …

The integration of fossils, phylogeny, and geochronology has resulted in an increasingly
well-resolved timetable of evolution. Life appears to have taken root before the earliest …

Uncovers the Key Role Microbes Play in the Transformation of Oxidizable and Reducible
MineralsMany areas of geomicrobial processes are receiving serious attention from …