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 …

Computer-aided visualization and analysis of fossils has revolutionized the study of extinct
organisms. Novel techniques allow fossils to be characterized in three dimensions and in …

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

Microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) result from the response of microbial
mats to physical sediment dynamics. MISS are cosmopolitan and found in many modern …

The oldest putative fossils occur as hematite filaments and tubes in jasper-carbonate
banded iron formations from the 4280-to 3750-Ma Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, Québec …

Abstract The Paleoproterozoic (2.5–1.6 Ga) Era is a decisive time in Earth and life history.
The paleobiological record (microfossils, stromatolites, biomarkers and isotopes) illustrates …

New analytical approaches and discoveries are demanding fresh thinking about the early
fossil record. The 1.88-Ga Gunflint chert provides an important benchmark for the analysis of …

The recognition of past habitable environments on Mars has increased the urgency to
understand biosignature preservation in and characterize analogues of these environments …

Subsurface habitats on Earth host an extensive extant biosphere and likely provided one of
Earth's earliest microbial habitats. Although the site of life's emergence continues to be …

Microbial life was well established and widespread by the Paleoarchean; however, the
degree of evolutionary advancement such as microbial motility, intra-and inter-species …