Fossils & Paleontology Archives

Schematic diagram showing the relative depths of the CROMO well array, Quarry Valley and Core Shed Wells, with reference to the lithostratigraphic levels from CSW1-1 cores. Depth of the well, in meters, is shown below each well in the cartoon. In the field, water levels differed slightly. Stars suggest zones of inferred lateral flow of water from formation in CSW1-4 and QV1-3 . Redrawn after Cardace et al. (2013). -- Frontiers in Microbiology

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Lipid Biomarkers Reveal Dominance Of Aerobic Methanotrophy In A Continental Serpentinizing System

by Keith CowingApril 3, 2026April 3, 2026

Sources and sinks of methane within an advanced serpentinization-influenced system were investigated at the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO) in Lower Lake, California. Subsurface water-rock reactions at CROMO contribute […]

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor spew black smoke, which forms when super-hot vent water hits the cold ocean. Scientists view them as candidates for where life may have started, because they provide heat, minerals and chemical energy that early life could have used to form and grow. Richard Lutz

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Did Impacts From Meteors Help Start Life On Earth?

by Keith CowingApril 1, 2026April 1, 2026

Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University […]

Schematic of methods used to insert ancestral genes into the host A. vinelandii genome -- Nature Communications

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search For Life Beyond Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2026March 27, 2026

NASA-supported scientists have resurrected an enzyme first used by organisms on Earth 3.2-billion years ago and, in the process, have validated a chemical biosignature in rocks that is used to […]

Archean Earth - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Atmospheric Oxygen And Methane On The Early Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 25, 2026March 25, 2026

The habitability of the early Earth was affected by various factors. We focus here on atmospheric oxygen (O2) and methane (CH4). O2 is essential for supporting eukaryotic life, including plants […]

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

DNA Fragments Could Survive In Martian Rocks For More Than 100 Million Years

by Keith CowingMarch 24, 2026March 24, 2026

The Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, has led a study published in Communications Earth and Environment, showing that if life had ever emerged on Mars, DNA fragments could be preserved […]

The researchers focused on exceptionally well-preserved sedimentary rocks deposited on ancient seafloors in what is now southern Sweden. Credit Unil

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Refining The Clock Of Earth’s Early Complex Animal Life

by Keith CowingMarch 18, 2026March 18, 2026

How can we measure time more than 500 million years into the past? A study recently published in Nature Communications by researchers at the University of Lausanne presents a new […]

Phylogeny of the 284 species of plants included in Conservatory data set. Conservatory uncovered ~2.3 million conserved non-coding DNA sequences across 284 plant species from 72 families including eudicots, monocots, gymnosperms, and algae. Credit Professor Madelaine Bartlett.

Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release

Uncovering Ancient DNA Sequences That Control Gene Function Across Plant Evolution

by Keith CowingMarch 15, 2026March 15, 2026

A ground-breaking study has traced thousands of conserved regulatory elements back 300 million years, revealing deep principles of plant genome evolution – a discovery that could pave the way for […]

Astrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release

Life Forms Can Planet Hop On Asteroid Debris – And Survive

by Keith CowingMarch 5, 2026July 23, 2026

Tiny life forms tucked into debris from an asteroid hit could catapult to other planets – including Earth – and survive, a new Johns Hopkins University study finds.

Hadean Earth - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Ancient Rocks Reveal Evidence Of The First Continents And Crust Recycling Processes On Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2026March 3, 2026

New research led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has uncovered chemical signatures in zircons, the planet’s oldest minerals, that are consistent with subduction and extensive continental crust during […]

Morphological comparison of the Apex Chert and the Strelley Pool Formation microfossils with EM-P. Images (A-D) are TEM images of EM-P cells forming intracellular vesicles (ICVs) and intracellular daughter cells. The numbered arrows in these images point to different stages of ICV formation (see Figure 1—figure supplement 1 and 2). Images (E, F, K & L) show TEM, SEM, and STED microscope images of EM-P cells with ICVs and surface depressions (black arrows). Cells in image F were stained with universal membrane stain, FM5-95 (red), and DNA stain, PicoGreen (green). Images (G-J & M) are spherical microfossils reported from the Apex Chert and the Strelley Pool Formation, respectively (originally published by Schopf and Packer, 1987; Delarue et al., 2020 ; Schopf and Packer, 1987; Delarue et al., 2020). Cyan arrows in images (E-H) point to cytoplasm sandwiched between large hollow vesicles. The arrow in the image I points to the dual membrane enclosing the microfossil. Morphologically similar images of EM-P cells are shown in Figure 1—figure supplement 3. Black arrows in images (K-M) point to surface depressions in both EM-P and the Strelley Pool Formation microfossils, possibly formed by the rupture of ICVs as shown in (D & E) (arrows) (also see Figure 1—figure supplements 4–6). Scale bars: (A-D) (0.5 µm) (E, K, & L) (2 µm), and 5 µm (F). -- eLife

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Status Report

On The Nature Of The Earliest Known Lifeforms

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

Microfossils from the Paleoarchean Eon are the oldest known evidence of life. Despite their significance in understanding the history of life on Earth, any interpretation of the nature of these […]