microfossils Archives

Primary fluid and solid inclusions along growth bands in bedded halite samples from this study.(E and F) Paired plane transmitted light (E) and cross-polarized views of solid inclusions in Cedar Hills Sandstone from Kansas, USA, 715.62 m (2347 ft, 6 in). XPL—cross-polarized light. -- GSA Bulletin

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Micron-scale Crystals In Halite Are Proxies For Permian Acid Brines

by Keith CowingJune 26, 2025June 26, 2025

Permian bedded halite of the Nippewalla Group of Kansas and the Opeche Shale of North Dakota, USA, formed in extremely acid saline lakes.

Shifting distributions of genera within functional groups and their phylogenetic underpinnings among the end-Cretaceous, survival pool, and Recent biotas. (A) Changes in absolute richness of genera within functional groups between the end-Cretaceous biota, the survivor pool, and today. Warmer colors indicate higher genus richness. Mixing of the color gradient in the survivor pool and Recent biota indicates shifts in the richness rank order of functional groups. (B) Phylogenetic underpinnings of functional group composition for the end-Cretaceous and Recent biotas. The proportion of genera in a functional group per family is reflected by the widths of ribbons connecting the tips of the family-level phylogeny to functional groups. The middle panel shows the proportional changes in genus richness of functional groups among taxon sets. The connections between the taxon sets are to visualize shifts in the rank order of functional groups and do not imply smooth transitions between them. -- Science Advances

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Does Life Rebound From Mass Extinctions?

by Keith CowingJune 4, 2025June 4, 2025

If you’re an animal living through a mass extinction, it’s best to be one that’s found a unique way to make a living.

At Crystal Geyser, Utah, travertine rocks form in the presence of microbial communities. Small layered features called stromatolites can be seen growing, which likely form by the direct activity of microorganisms. These and other ‘biosignatures’, such as fossils of bacterial cells, can be seen preserved in the youngest upper layers of the travertine. Surprisingly, these signs of life are quickly erased due to crystal transformations and continued growth. These processes help explain why ancient carbonate rocks are often missing important signs of life, and helps us understand what kinds of biosignatures might be found in similar environments beyond Earth. Image courtesy of Jon Lima-Zaloumis/ASU

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release

Research On How Rocks Preserve Signs Of Life Honors Late ASU Mentor Jack Farmer

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Building from his PhD work at Arizona State University, Jon Lima-Zaloumis is developing methods to look for signs of active life occurring in extreme environments, namely in the Earth’s atmosphere […]

During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum recorded in marine sediments, nitrogen isotopes and body size of microfossils reveal an increase in the oxygenation of the tropical ocean. The magnifier shows the foraminifera fossils. International Ocean Discovery Program and Simone Moretti

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Searching For Clues In The History Book Of Earth’s Oceans

by Keith CowingFebruary 16, 2024February 16, 2024

Oxygen is fundamental to sustaining life on Earth. The ocean gets its oxygen from its uppermost layers in contact with the atmosphere. As our planet continues to warm, the ocean […]

Light microscope images of euglenoid cysts from Holocene to recent Lake Vouliagmeni in Greece. Specimens are between 20 and 30 micrometers in diameter. Note the fingerprint-like patterning that is a shared characteristic of all fossil forms. CREDIT Andreas Koutsodendris, Heidelberg University

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Microfossils Shed Light On The Long Fossil Record Of Euglenoids

by Keith CowingJanuary 27, 2024January 27, 2024

Hiding in the shadows, euglenoids are a fascinating group of single-celled protists that are neither plant nor animal.

TL photomicrograph of a five-celled filament with constant width and dark narrow transverse bands. -- Science Advances

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

North China Fossils Show Eukaryotes First Acquired Multicellularity 1.63 Billion Years Ago

by Keith CowingJanuary 25, 2024January 24, 2024

In a study published in Science Advances on Jan. 24, researchers led by Prof. ZHU Maoyan from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences […]

A drill core sample from the Barberton greenstone belt used in the study. The dark layers contain particles of carbonaceous matter, the altered remains from Palaeoarchaean microorganisms. CREDIT Manuel Reinhardt

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

New Pieces In The Puzzle Of First Life On Earth

by Keith CowingJanuary 25, 2024January 24, 2024

Microorganisms were the first forms of life on our planet. The clues are written in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks by geochemical and morphological traces, such as chemical compounds or structures that […]

Microfossils are contained within black chert like the ones seen here. CREDIT Provided by Erica Barlow

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

New Microfossils Suggest An Earlier Rise In Complex Life On Earth

by Keith CowingNovember 7, 2023November 7, 2023

Microfossils from Western Australia may capture a jump in the complexity of life that coincided with the rise of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, according to an international team […]

Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Fossil Microorganisms Indicate Life in the Universe is Common

by Keith CowingDecember 18, 2017

A new analysis of the oldest known fossil microorganisms provides strong evidence to support an increasingly widespread understanding that life in the universe is common. The microorganisms, from Western Australia, […]

Fossils & Paleontology, Press Release

Ancient Plankton-like Microfossils Span Two Continents

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2017

Large, robust, lens-shaped microfossils from the approximately 3.4 billion-year-old Kromberg Formation of the Kaapvaal Craton in eastern South Africa are not only among the oldest elaborate microorganisms known. But they […]