Photosystem II is the water-oxidizing and O2-evolving enzyme of photosynthesis. How and
when this remarkable enzyme arose are fundamental questions in the history of life that …

The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions of humanity. It has been and is
still being addressed by a wide range of researchers from different fields, with different …

Molecular oxygen (O 2) paired with a reducing gas is regarded as a promising biosignature
pair for the atmospheric characterization of terrestrial exoplanets. In circumstances when O 2 …

The lunar crater record features∼ 50 basins. The radiometric dating of Apollo samples
indicates that the Imbrium basin formed relatively late—from the planet formation …

Earth is the only planet known to be habitable, and is also unique with its liquid water, and
the operation of plate tectonics. The geological record shows that the habitability of our …

This review systematically presents all finds of geogenic, impact-induced, and
extraterrestrial iron silicide minerals known at the end of 2021. The respective morphological …

During the Neoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic eras, geological evidence points to several
“Snowball Earth” episodes when most of Earth's surface was covered in ice. These global …

The 2.02 billion year old Vredefort impact structure in South Africa offers a unique
opportunity to study large‐scale impact processes on Earth. Vredefort's large size (∼ 250 …

The Moon holds important clues to the early evolution of the solar system. Some 50 impact
basins (crater diameter D> 300 km) have been recognized on the lunar surface, implying …

Nitrogen is essential for all organisms, but biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) occurs only in a
small fraction of prokaryotes. Previous studies divided nitrogenase-gene-carrying …