Microbialites provide geological evidence of one of Earth's oldest ecosystems, potentially
recording long-standing interactions between coevolving life and the environment. Here, we …

There is considerable evidence that the early climate of Mars was very different from the
inhospitable conditions there today. This early climate was characterized by liquid water on …

Deposits produced by microbial growth and metabolism have been important components of
carbonate sediments since the Archaean. Geologically best known in seas and lakes …

Microbialites are organosedimentary deposits formed from interaction between benthic
microbial communities (BMCs) and detrital or chemical sediments. Processes involved in the …

Thrombolites and stromatolites are distinct types of microbial (cryptalgal) structures
characterized, respectively, by mesoscopic clotted and laminated internal fabrics. Although …

Below the photic zone within live microbial mats from tidal flats, the cyanobacteria are dead
and bacteria are the dominant living biota. Field data indicate that precipitation of calcium …

Marine bacteria can and do induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate in the laboratory
and in nature, which results in single crystals and aggregates of crystals (crystal bundles) …

One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the
apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 550 million years. We have long known …

Since the mid-1960s, following a century of unrewarded search, impressive progress has
been made toward deciphering the Precambrian fossil record, evidence of life extant during …

Intertidal Deposits: River Mouths, Tidal Flats, and Coastal Lagoons combines the authors
personal and professional experience with the mass of available literature to present a …