Cyanobacteria played an important role in the evolution of Early Earth and the biosphere.
They are responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans since the Great …

Few topics in geobiology have been as extensively debated as the role of Earth's
oxygenation in controlling when and why animals emerged and diversified. All currently …

Precambrian fossils of fungi are sparse, and the knowledge of their early evolution and the
role they played in the colonization of land surface are limited. Here, we report the discovery …

Today oxygenic photosynthesis is unique to cyanobacteria and their plastid relatives within
eukaryotes. Although its origin before the Great Oxidation Event is still debated,,–, the …

Eukaryotic life has likely existed since the late Paleoproterozoic, yet little is known about its
early diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Organic-walled microfossils (OWMs) with …

Accumulated records of organic microfossils span billions of years of Earth history. The
majority of this record consists of prokaryotes plus eukaryotes of a protistan grade, yet this …

The acquisition of photosynthesis is a fundamental step in the evolution of eukaryotes.
However, few phototrophic organisms are unambiguously recognized in the Precambrian …

Abstract The period 1800 to 800 Ma (“Boring Billion”) is believed to mark a delay in the
evolution of complex life, primarily due to low levels of oxygen in the atmosphere. Earlier …

Abstract The well-preserved Meso-Neoproterozoic shallow marine succession of the Atar/El
Mreïti Group, in the Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania, offers a unique opportunity to investigate …

Cyanobacteria have a long evolutionary history, well documented in marine rocks. They are
also abundant and diverse in terrestrial environments; however, although phylogenies …