Paleontologists, led by David Gold, are uncovering the evolution of early life through chemical traces in ancient rocks and genetic studies. They’ve discovered that changes in sterol lipids in rocks correspond with significant shifts in animal diets and the rise of algae, shedding light on life over a billion years ago.
Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals. Research published on December 1 in DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43545-z
Co-authors on the paper are: at UC Davis, Tessa Brunoir and Chris Mulligan; Ainara Sistiaga, University of Copenhagen; K.M. Vuu and Patrick Shih, Joint Bioenergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Shane O’Reilly, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Ireland; Roger Summons, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The work was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.