Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Changing the picture of Earth's earliest fossils (3.5–1.9 Ga) with new approaches and new discoveries
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Changing the picture of Earth's earliest fossils (3.5–1.9 Ga) with new approaches and new discoveries
Do you wish to request the book?
Changing the picture of Earth's earliest fossils (3.5–1.9 Ga) with new approaches and new discoveries
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Changing the picture of Earth's earliest fossils (3.5–1.9 Ga) with new approaches and new discoveries
2015
Overview
New analytical approaches and discoveries are demanding fresh thinking about the early fossil record. The 1.88-Ga Gunflint chert provides an important benchmark for the analysis of early fossil preservation. High-resolution analysis of Gunflintia shows that microtaphonomy can help to resolve long-standing paleobiological questions. Novel 3D nanoscale reconstructions of the most ancient complex fossil Eosphaera reveal features hitherto unmatched in any crown-group microbe. While Eosphaera may preserve a symbiotic consortium, a stronger conclusion is that multicellular morphospace was differently occupied in the Paleoproterozoic. The 3.46-Ga Apex chert provides a test bed for claims of biogenicity of cell-like structures. Mapping plus focused ion beam milling combined with transmission electron microscopy data demonstrate that microfossil-like taxa, including species of Archaeoscillatoriopsis and Primaevifilum , are pseudofossils formed from vermiform phyllosilicate grains during hydrothermal alteration events. The 3.43-Ga Strelley Pool Formation shows that plausible early fossil candidates are turning up in unexpected environmental settings. Our data reveal how cellular clusters of unexpectedly large coccoids and tubular sheath-like envelopes were trapped between sand grains and entombed within coatings of dripstone beach-rock silica cement. These fossils come from Earth’s earliest known intertidal to supratidal shoreline deposit, accumulated under aerated but oxygen poor conditions.
Significance Precambrian fossils are essential for understanding the emergence of complex life. New analytical tools and new fossil discoveries are now changing the picture, allowing us to refine and extend our knowledge about the early fossil record. High-resolution data from 3.46-Ga Apex chert microbiota help us to test rigorous criteria for studying the early fossil record. Preservational windows in the 1.88-Ga Gunflint chert allow us to posit novel cellular forms, and emphasize the critical role played by the fossil record in understanding early biodiversity. Micromapping of 3.43-Ga Strelley Pool sandstone reveals microfossils preserved between sand grains from the earliest known shoreline, reminding us that many kinds of ancient habitat have yet to be explored in this way.
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
