Palaeontology articles within Nature Geoscience

Featured

  • Review Article |

    Carbonate rocks of Middle Ediacaran age record the largest excursion in carbon isotopic compositions in Earth history. A review of the data offers two intriguing explanations: an extraordinary perturbation of the carbon cycle, or post-depositional alteration that is global, rather than local.

    • John P. Grotzinger
    • , David A. Fike
    •  & Woodward W. Fischer

  • Letter |

    Microstructures from the 3.5-billion-year-old Apex Chert have been interpreted as the remains of ancient cyanobacteria. Geochemical analyses suggest similar structures at the same location are instead haematite-filled fractures, although carbonaceous material in the surrounding matrix is consistent with the presence of microbes at this time.

    • Craig P. Marshall
    • , Julienne R. Emry
    •  & Alison Olcott Marshall

  • News & Views |

    Evidence from biomarkers and molecular clocks points to the existence of sponges tens of millions of years before their earliest fossil remains. Fossils from South Australia may narrow that gap.

    • Marc Laflamme

  • Article |

    The Trezona Formation of South Australia pre-dates the 635-million-year-old Marinoan glaciation. Fossils found at this location are up to several millimetres in size, and share morphological characteristics with sponge-grade animals.

    • Adam C. Maloof
    • , Catherine V. Rose
    •  & Frederik J. Simons

  • News & Views |

    Reconstructions of atmospheric chemistry and microbial life early in the Earth's history have been contentious. Observations increasingly point to the evolution of complex and variable environments earlier in time.

    • Andrew D. Czaja

  • News & Views |

    The Triassic/Jurassic boundary was marked by widespread environmental changes, including greenhouse warming. Palaeoecological reconstructions from East Greenland reveal a dramatic rise in fire activity, driven by vegetation shifts and climate change.

    • Bas van de Schootbrugge

  • News & Views |

    Many species of nannoplankton with carbonate shells vanished during the mass extinction 65 million years ago. An analysis of extinction rates from the world's oceans reveals a geographic bias in the demise and recovery of nannoplankton species.

    • Paul B. Wignall

  • Article |

    Over 90% of calcareous nannoplankton species disappeared during the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction, which occurred after an impact event. Palaeontological analyses show that the extinction was most pronounced in the Northern Hemisphere oceans, possibly as a result of an increased concentration of particulates created by the impact in the north.

    • Shijun Jiang
    • , Timothy J. Bralower
    •  & Jonathan D. Schueth

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