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.
fossils
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 inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Courses, Fossils & Paleontology, Status Report, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts
LIFE NASA RCN Seminar 6 January 2026
Join the 2026 LIFE NASA RCN Seminar Series! This month’s speakers are Dr. Ilya Bobrovskiy and Dr. Tharika Liyanage.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chemical Evidence Of Ancient Life Detected In 3.3 billion-year-old Rocks
Pairing cutting-edge chemistry with artificial intelligence, a multidisciplinary team of scientists today published fresh chemical evidence of Earth’s earliest life – concealed in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks – and molecular evidence that […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors
Evidence Of Ancient Underground Water Reveals Mars May Have Stayed Habitable Longer Than Believed
Scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have uncovered new evidence that water once flowed beneath the surface of Mars, revealing that the planet may have remained habitable for […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Detection of Biogenicity Using Laboratory Specimens of Biologically and Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures in a Controlled Experiment
The search for traces of life can be based on the detection of specific signatures produced by microorganisms on sedimentary rocks.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
Unusual Red Rocks In Australia Are Rewriting The Rules On Exceptional Fossil Sites
Highly detailed fossils are typically found in shale or other fine-grained sedimentary rocks. These ones? They’re made of iron.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Neutron Scanning Of Coral Fossils Reveals Earth’s Hidden Climate History
A University of Sydney student has developed a completely new way to peer inside coral fossils to recover lost records of past climate change.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Production and Preservation of Lipid Biosignatures in SO4-Rich Hypersaline Lakes of the Cariboo Plateau
Modern and ancient hypersaline lakes and oceans have been identified across the solar system, but the habitability and potential of these environments to preserve organic matter remain unknown.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The First Animals On Earth May Have Been Sea Sponges, Study Suggests
A team of MIT geochemists has unearthed new evidence in very old rocks suggesting that some of the first animals on Earth were likely ancestors of the modern sea sponge.