All life on Earth shares a common ancestor that lived roughly four billion years ago. This so-called “last universal common ancestor” represents the most ancient organism that researchers can study.
evolution
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Did Iron Suppress Eukaryote Emergence and Early Radiation?
The last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) is widely thought to have been an oxygen-respiring organism, arising through endosymbiosis when a free-living bacterium became the mitochondrion.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
What The Earliest Evidence For Life Tells Us About The Early Evolution Of The Biosphere
Life emerged on Earth in an ultramafic world under anaerobic conditions and conditioned by particular environmental characteristics for which no record remains.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Key Drivers Of Recurrent Extinction In The Triassic
Mass extinctions are extremely catastrophic events on Earth. Throughout Earth’s evolutionary history, numerous mass extinctions have occurred, with five major mass extinctions being particularly representative.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, NASA Astrobiology Program, Status Report
The Origin, Extension, and Future of the “NASA Definition” of Life
The “NASA definition” enjoys broad popularity among scientists, particularly in the astrobiology community: life is “a self-sustained chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution.”
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
410 Million Year Old Fossil Of Prototaxites Defies Classification
The genus ‘Prototaxites’ had previously been thought to be an early type of fungus. However, in a new paper published in Science Advances, researchers from the University of Edinburgh and […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Noncanonical Genetic Markers Resolve The Pre-GOE Emergence Of Aerobic Bacteria In Earth’s History
The transition from anaerobic to aerobic life was a pivotal adaptation in Earth’s history, yet the timing and genomic drivers remain poorly resolved.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Dominant Contribution Of Asgard Archaea To Eukaryogenesis
The origin of eukaryotes is one of the key problems in evolutionary biology. The demonstration that the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) already contained the mitochondrion—an endosymbiotic organelle derived from […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Lichen Paved The Way For Plants And Animals To Thrive On Earth
Lichens were already widespread over 410 million years ago, according to a new international study which identifies a fossil from Brazil as one of the oldest lichen in Earth’s history.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Status Report
Direct Constraints From 1.4 Ga Fluid Inclusions Reveal A Fair Climate And Oxygenated Atmosphere
The Mesoproterozoic eon, often regarded as mundane and static, lays the foundation for dramatic transformations in Earth’s physical and biological evolution during the subsequent Neoproterozoic.