For years, researchers have searched for the working principles of self-assembly that can build a cell (complex biological organism) as well as a crystal (far simpler inorganic material) in the […]
Origin & Evolution of Life
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Life's Earliest Evolution Was More Complicated Than Previously Suspected
Biologists have long hoped to understand the nature of the earliest living organisms on Earth. If they could, they might then be able to say something about how, when, and […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Earth's Oldest Bilaterian
Astrobiologists supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program have provided new insight into the transition between simple, microscopic life and complex animal life. Based on geological evidence, this transition […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evolution During The Cambrian Explosion
A new study by an international team of scientists has revealed the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms underlying the origin of a major phylum. The Cambrian Explosion was a pivotal event […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Hydrogen Energy Is At The Root Of Life
Since the discovery of submarine hydrothermal vents around 40 years ago, these natural chemical reactors have been a focus for evolutionary researchers searching for the origin of life. The vents […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Rules Of Life: From A Pond To The Beyond
The Cuatro Cienegas Basin, located in Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, was once a shallow sea that became isolated from the Gulf of Mexico around 43 million years ago. This basin […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Implications of Abiotic Oxygen Buildup for Earth-like Complex Life
One of the chief paradoxes of molecular oxygen (O2) is that it is an essential requirement for multicellular eukaryotes on Earth while simultaneously posing a threat to their survival via […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Some Scientists Believe Life Formed in Thermal Pools like Those in Yellowstone National Park
When the Earth was born, it was a mess. Meteors and lightning storms likely bombarded the planet’s surface where nothing except lifeless chemicals could survive. How life formed in this […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Animal Embryos Evolved Before Animals
Animals evolved from single-celled ancestors, before diversifying into 30 or 40 distinct anatomical designs. When and how animal ancestors made the transition from single-celled microbes to complex multicellular organisms has […]
Posted inDesert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Cellular Life From The Three Domains And Viruses Are Transcriptionally Active In A Hypersaline Desert Community
Microbial communities play essential roles in the biosphere and understanding the mechanisms underlying their functional adaptations to environmental conditions is critical for predicting their behavior. This aspect of microbiome function […]