Stromatolites are among the most ancient signs of life on Earth, forming as far back as 3.5 billion years ago. If such mounds are detected on Mars and other distant planets, they could potentially ...

"Most of the history of life on Earth was dominated by microbial life, and if we want to anchor our understanding of microbial evolution to this history of life we need to look at what information we ...

Microbiota Vault Initiative preserves crucial microbes from humans, animals, and environments to prevent future health crises ...

When the Earth froze over, where did life shelter? MIT scientists say one refuge may have been pools of melted ice that ...

Modern-day environments in Antarctica contain ponds filled with life forms that closely resemble early multicellular ...

What is the first evidence of life on Earth? The biological structures found in the Dresser Formation are known as stromatolites, which are the preserved remains of 'microbial mats' stacked on top of ...

The advent of oxygenic photosynthesis on Earth may have increased global biological productivity by a factor of 100–1,000 (ref. 1), profoundly affecting both geochemical and biological evolution.

Deciphering how modern microbial communities construct these geologic features could help researchers discover even earlier forms of life on Earth and potentially even Mars.

A new study of ancient fossil trails pushes the origins of complex life deeper into Earth’s history, before the Cambrian Period began.

While Earth's slowdown is not noticeable on human timescales, ... microbial mats can be found that are thought to be an analog of the cyanobacteria responsible for the Great Oxidation Event.

Scientists from MIT studied how organisms live in modern Antarctic meltwater ponds to predict how similar organisms would ...

If verified, these fossils would surpass 3.7-billion-year-old microbial mats found in Greenland as the oldest known traces of life. ... Among the oldest known fragments of Earth, ...