evolution – Page 7 – My WordPress Site

The lifespan of the biosphere is necessarily constrained between the onset of Earth’s habitability (the “habitability window,” constrained between ~4.5 and ~3.9 Ga) (147) and its end (the extinction of all life, constrained to ~1.0 ± 0.5 Gyr into the future) (40–42).

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, Intelligence & Language, Origin & Evolution of Life, SETI & Technosignatures

A Reassessment Of The “hard-steps” Model For The Evolution Of Intelligent Life

by Keith CowingOctober 29, 2025

Plate reconstruction of West African Craton (blue) and Laurentia (orange) according to Kent statistical treatment of sedimentary data and Bingham statistical treatment of coeval volcanic data.-- Science

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mapping Earth During The Ediacaran Period

by Keith CowingOctober 17, 2025

Conceptual model for the evolution of exoenzymes and the recycling of organic matter across the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). (A) In the Archean Ocean, prior to the GOE, the recycling of organic matter depended entirely on the activity of fermenters. This resulted in low recycling efficiency, elevated carbon burial, and limited regeneration of essential nutrients back into seawater. This scarcity of particulate organic matter (POM) also reduced the availability of niches for microbial colonization, thus limiting the selective pressure for the evolution of exoenzyme systems. (b) Following the GOE, rising oxygen levels increased the availability of high-energy electron acceptors (e.g. O2, nitrate and ferric iron), supporting the expansion of metabolic groups with high exoenzyme capacity, such as aerobic heterotrophs, dissimilatory nitrate reducers and dissimilatory ferric iron reducers. Concurrently, increases in POM abundance and microbial cell densities would have amplified the selective pressure to produce exoenzymes. Collectively, these changes in the Paleoproterozoic promoted more efficient recycling of organic matter and regeneration of nutrients back into the water column, ultimately fueling greater primary productivity and oxygen release. This feedback between exoenzyme evolution, nutrient cycling, and oxygen production would have amplified Earth’s progressive oxygenation. -- biorxiv.org

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Microbial Exoenzymes Catalyzed The Transition To An Oxygenated Earth

by Keith CowingOctober 11, 2025October 11, 2025

The solid curve represents the average dissolved oceanic Ni concentration (nmol L−1). Light blue indicates pO2 (Present Atmospheric Level, PAL). Changes in urea concentration are indicated by a red gradient (darker red represents higher concentrations). The average dissolved oceanic Ni concentration is plotted on data from ref. 26, and the Oxygen evolution curve is from ref. 1. Solar Lyman α flux is from ref. 83. -- Nature

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Earth’s Oxygen Boom: A Fresh Perspective For A Billion-year-old Problem

by Keith CowingOctober 10, 2025October 10, 2025

Hyperspectral maps of RR5-70-1.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Neutron Scanning Of Coral Fossils Reveals Earth’s Hidden Climate History

by Keith CowingOctober 8, 2025October 8, 2025

Kultur von Hypomyces completus Public Domain, Quelle: US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory, [1] Larger image

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life

Fungi Set The Stage For Life On Land Hundreds Of Millions Of Years Earlier Than Thought

by Keith CowingOctober 1, 2025October 1, 2025

Assembly formed by primordial peptides as observed by bright field Microscopy Credit Frenkel-Pinter Lab

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life

New Study Reveals Why Nature Picked Today’s Proteins

by Keith CowingOctober 1, 2025October 1, 2025

This MODERN living glass sponge was spotted during a 2018 cruise. This photo reveals the bright colors and textures commonly associated with the living sponge, which is usually found in small patches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, Marine Applied Research and Exploration.

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The First Animals On Earth May Have Been Sea Sponges, Study Suggests

by Keith CowingSeptember 30, 2025September 30, 2025

Periodic table of elements and their nucleosynthesis. Biological utilisation of the elements and biometals (in orange and yellow) and their nucleosynthesis processes in the Universe are indicated. CHNOPS elements and elements used as electron donors/acceptors by biology are also reported. Iron and Manganese are the only biometals that not only serve as cofactors, but might also be used as metabolic substrates for redox reactions. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Transition Metal Abundance As A Key Parameter For The Search Of Life In The Universe

by Keith CowingSeptember 28, 2025September 28, 2025

Barrel sampling. ROV recovering a sediment push core. -- PNAS Nexus

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Extremophile Hotspots Linked To Containerized Industrial Waste Dumping In A Deep-sea Basin

by Keith CowingSeptember 28, 2025September 28, 2025