Early Life on Earth

AcknowledgmentsSetting the scene, an introduction by Martin BrasierMilestones in the search for early life on Earth The Eozoon debate and the 'Foraminosphere'The Cyanosphere, phase 1The Cyanosphere, phase 2ImplicationsRecommended readingPART A: Investigating life in early Archean rocks 1. What can we expect to find in the earliest rock record? Introduction 1.1. Body fossils 1.2. Trace fossils 1.3. Chemical fossils 2. The difficulties of decoding early life Introduction 2.1. Non-biological artefacts 2.2. Post-depositional contamination 2.3. The pros and cons of the 'Principle of Uniformity' 2.4. A benchmark for microfossils and stromatolites 3. Establishing the criteria for early life on Earth Introduction 3.1. Antiquity criteria 3.1.1. General antiquity criteria 3.1.2. Additional antiquity criteria specific to microfossils 3.1.3. Additional antiquity criteria specific to trace fossils 3.2. Biogenicity criteria 3.2.1. General biogenicity criteria 3.2.2. Additional biogenicity criteria specific to microfossils 3.2.3. Additional biogenicity criteria specific to trace fossils 3.3. The problem of stromatolites 4. Fulfilling the criteria for early life on Earth Introduction 4.1. Where to look? - Archean cratons 4.1.1. Geology of the Pilbara craton 4.1.2. Geology of the Barberton greenstone belt, Kaapvaal craton 4.1.3. Geology of southwest Greenland 4.2. Typical rocks found in the early Archean that could host life 4.2.1. Chert 4.2.2. Pillow basalt 4.2.3. Sandstone 4.2.4. Hydrothermal deposits 5. Techniques for investigating early life on Earth Introduction5.1. Geological mapping 5.2. Radiometric dating 5.3. Optical microscopy 5.4. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) 5.5. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) 5.6. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS and NanoSIMS) 5.7. Laser-Raman micro-spectroscopy 5.8. Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) 5.9. Synchrotron x-ray tomography 5.10. Atomic force

From the reviews:



"Suitable for graduate students and early career researchers, this book provides a useful introduction to the current understanding of life on the early Earth. The excellent images and use of bullet points and tables to encapsulate key information make this book highly readable ... providing suggestions for additional reading for those who want (or need) to know more. The text is clear and well-written ... . This book is thought-provoking ... ." (Alison J. Wright, The Astrobiology Society of Britain, September, 2009)

"Wacey ... has chosen a daunting task: to review everything more than three billion years old that anyone has interpreted as a body, trace, or chemical remnant of life on Earth. ... At approximately 100 pages, this overview is quite succinct, yet well illustrated and comprehensively referenced. ... Pound for pound, this may be the best available summary of evidence of Earth's earliest life ... a good introduction for nonspecialists. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections." (B. M. Simonson, Choice, Vol. 47 (3), November, 2009)

"Gives the reader a general overview of early-life studies ... . The topics are presented in such a way that even a non-scientist would be able to grasp most of the basic concepts. ... The topics covered are well-organized and clearly explained, and each section is followed by extensive lists of references for further reading. I would certainly use this book as the basis of an introductory course curriculum at the upper undergraduate or graduate level." (Dina M. Bower, Geologos, Vol. 16 (3), September, 2010)