Fossils & Paleontology – Page 2 – My WordPress Site

Schematic of methods used to insert ancestral genes into the host A. vinelandii genome -- Nature Communications

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life

Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search For Life Beyond Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2026March 27, 2026

Archean Earth - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Atmospheric Oxygen And Methane On The Early Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 25, 2026March 25, 2026

Surface of Mars - NASA Perseverance

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

DNA Fragments Could Survive In Martian Rocks For More Than 100 Million Years

by Keith CowingMarch 24, 2026March 24, 2026

The researchers focused on exceptionally well-preserved sedimentary rocks deposited on ancient seafloors in what is now southern Sweden. Credit Unil

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Origin & Evolution of Life

Refining The Clock Of Earth’s Early Complex Animal Life

by Keith CowingMarch 18, 2026March 18, 2026

Phylogeny of the 284 species of plants included in Conservatory data set. Conservatory uncovered ~2.3 million conserved non-coding DNA sequences across 284 plant species from 72 families including eudicots, monocots, gymnosperms, and algae. Credit Professor Madelaine Bartlett.

Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology

Uncovering Ancient DNA Sequences That Control Gene Function Across Plant Evolution

by Keith CowingMarch 15, 2026March 15, 2026

Astrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia

Life Forms Can Planet Hop On Asteroid Debris – And Survive

by Keith CowingMarch 5, 2026March 5, 2026

Hadean Earth - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life

Ancient Rocks Reveal Evidence Of The First Continents And Crust Recycling Processes On Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2026March 3, 2026

Morphological comparison of the Apex Chert and the Strelley Pool Formation microfossils with EM-P. Images (A-D) are TEM images of EM-P cells forming intracellular vesicles (ICVs) and intracellular daughter cells. The numbered arrows in these images point to different stages of ICV formation (see Figure 1—figure supplement 1 and 2). Images (E, F, K & L) show TEM, SEM, and STED microscope images of EM-P cells with ICVs and surface depressions (black arrows). Cells in image F were stained with universal membrane stain, FM5-95 (red), and DNA stain, PicoGreen (green). Images (G-J & M) are spherical microfossils reported from the Apex Chert and the Strelley Pool Formation, respectively (originally published by Schopf and Packer, 1987; Delarue et al., 2020 ; Schopf and Packer, 1987; Delarue et al., 2020). Cyan arrows in images (E-H) point to cytoplasm sandwiched between large hollow vesicles. The arrow in the image I points to the dual membrane enclosing the microfossil. Morphologically similar images of EM-P cells are shown in Figure 1—figure supplement 3. Black arrows in images (K-M) point to surface depressions in both EM-P and the Strelley Pool Formation microfossils, possibly formed by the rupture of ICVs as shown in (D & E) (arrows) (also see Figure 1—figure supplements 4–6). Scale bars: (A-D) (0.5 µm) (E, K, & L) (2 µm), and 5 µm (F). -- eLife

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology

On The Nature Of The Earliest Known Lifeforms

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

Source: Vladislav Egorov (3D model), Jaagup Metsalu (render) - Estonian Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 File:Estonian Museum of Natural History - trilobite - Hydrocephalus.png

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Sample Return

Biosignatures: Detection Of A Biopolymer In 500 Million Year Old Trilobite Fossils

by Keith CowingFebruary 23, 2026February 23, 2026

a 187Os/188Os ratios represent age-corrected (red circle) and measured (white circle) isotope ratios. bOs and Re concentrations. cIr and Ru concentrations. d Pt and Pd concentrations. e Os/Ir ratios. Planktic foraminiferal zonations A21 and W11 are from ref. 29 and ref. 31, respectively. Os/Ir ratios for CI chondrite and upper continental crust (UCC) are from refs. -- University of Texas Austin

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Hydrothermal System Helped Life Recover After Dino-Killing Asteroid

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026