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Lipids can survive long geological intervals within sediments and provide a unique tool that allows the reconstruction of past organismic diversity and environmental conditions. The lipids discussed in this review include all substances produced by organisms that are insoluble in water but extractable by organic solvents. Lipid biomarkers refer to both functionalized biolipids as well as their hydrocarbon derivatives in geological materials that contain diverse information about biotic sources and environmental conditions. In spite of diagenetic and catagenetic alteration, lipid biomarkers commonly preserve the hydrocarbon structure of their biotic counterparts and have been found in rocks up to 1.6 billion years in age. These features have promoted the use of lipid biomarkers in many fields, including petroleum geology, paleoclimatology, oceanography, meteorology, geobiology and environmental science. Here, we (i …