Research report 2014 - Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry

From bacteria to humans: Reconstructing early evolution with fossil biomarkers

Authors
Hallmann, Christian Olivier Eduard
Departments
Max-Planck-Forschungsgruppe Organische Paläobiogeochemie
Summary
Life on Earth is surprisingly old. After the formation of our planet, about 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth was a hostile place without solid crust, essential water and with regularly occurring meteorite impacts. After the first stabilization of environmental conditions and the condensation of liquid water, it didn’t take long for the first life to appear in the form of primitive unicellular bacteria. The Max Planck Research Group Organic Paleobiogeochemistry studies how life evolved from its first occurrence to the complex ecosystems that surround us today.

For the full text, see the German version.

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