Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes to have evolved oxygenic photosynthesis,
transforming the biology and chemistry of our planet. Genomic and evolutionary studies …

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

Eukaryotic life appears to have flourished surprisingly late in the history of our planet. This
view is based on the low diversity of diagnostic eukaryotic fossils in marine sediments of mid …

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and it acts as a major control on
biological productivity in the modern ocean. Accurate reconstructions of the evolution of life …

Atmospheric reactions and slow geological processes controlled Earth's earliest nitrogen
cycle, and by~ 2.7 billion years ago, a linked suite of microbial processes evolved to form the …

Iron formations (IF) represent an iron-rich rock type that typifies many Archaean and
Proterozoic supracrustal successions and are chemical archives of Precambrian seawater …

The Mesoproterozoic Eon [1,600–1,000 million years ago (Ma)] is emerging as a key interval
in Earth history, with a unique geochemical history that might have influenced the course of …

Cyanobacteria played an important role in the evolution of Early Earth and the biosphere.
They are responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans since the Great …

In marine sediments, DNA occurs both inside and outside living organisms. DNA not
enclosed in living cells may account for the largest fraction of total DNA, and include …

The partial pressure of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere has increased dramatically through
time, and this increase is thought to have occurred in two rapid steps at both ends of the …