Tiny droplets of water and microscopic bubbles of gas were trapped in “fluid inclusions,” sealing a perfect record of Earth’s ...

Researchers from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Curtin University in ...

More than a billion years ago, in a shallow basin across what is now northern Ontario, a subtropical lake much like ...

A billion years ago, days lasted 19 hours: the balance between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the Moon slowed down the Earth ...

Scientists have traced the origins of complex life to the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna 1.5 billion years ago. This tectonic shift reduced volcanic carbon emissions, expanded shallow seas, and ...

Complex life began to develop earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed, a new study has revealed. The research sheds new light on the conditions needed for early organisms to ...

Relative plate motions and plate boundary geometries are from Cao et al. (2024), with plate motions placed in a mantle reference frame. Continents are light grey, with continental margins shown in ...

Researchers have discovered chemical traces of life in rocks older than 3.3 billion years, offering a rare look at Earth’s earliest biology. By combining advanced chemical methods with artificial ...

Deep in some of Earth’s oldest rocks, traces of ancient life still linger, even when every cell has crumbled. You would not see shells, bones, or clear microfossils in these rocks. Instead, you would ...

MSU researcher Katie Maloney contributed samples of rare, exceptionally well-preserved seaweed fossils (e.g., macroscopic algae) from Yukon Territory, Canada. These fossils are almost one-billion ...

More than a billion years ago, in a shallow basin across what is now northern Ontario, a subtropical lake much like ...