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 […]
Paleontology
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return
Ancient Chemical Clues Reveal Earth’s Earliest Life 3.3 Billion Years Ago
A new study uncovered fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks more than 3.3 billion years old, along with molecular traces showing that oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years […]
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 inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dynamic Deep Marine Oxygenation During The Early And Middle Paleozoic
The Early Paleozoic radiation of diverse animal life is commonly connected to a well-ventilated global ocean. Yet the oxygenation history of Paleozoic deep oceans remains debated.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return, Science Fiction
New Grand Canyon Fossils Show The Evolution Of Early Animals On Earth
A treasure trove of exceptionally preserved early animals from more than half a billion years ago has been discovered in the Grand Canyon, one of the natural world’s most iconic […]
![Reef scene off the coast of St. Croix, USVI [Photo credit: NOAA CCMA Biogeography Branch]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/How-Earths-Biomass-Changed-Over.jpg?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Earth’s Biomass Changed Over 500 Million Years
In a first-of-its-kind study, Stanford researchers have measured how the abundance of ocean life has changed over the past half-billion years of Earth’s history.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Fossils Reveal New Clues About Early Ocean Life On Earth
More than 514 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, sponge-like creatures called archaeocyathids were already busy building some of the planet’s earliest reefs — just north of […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Biosignatures: The Oldest Ant Ever Discovered Found Fossilized In Brazil
Editor’s note: we currently have three rovers on Mars – and other in orbit – searching in one way or another for biosignatures – chemical and/or geological traces that life […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release
How Survivors Spanned The Globe After Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction
Scientists don’t call it the “Great Dying” for nothing. About 252 million years ago, upward of 80% of all marine species vanished during the end-Permian mass extinction – the most […]