Skip to main content
Log in

Palaeontology

Modern life in ancient mats

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Microbial communities seem to have inhabited tidal sediments 2.9 billion years ago much as they do today — but what organisms were involved, and how they made their living, remain intriguing questions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1: Mat finish.

References

  1. Amard, B. & Bertrand-Sarfati, J. Precamb. Res. 81, 197–221 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hofmann, H. J. J. Paleontol. 50, 1040–1073 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Noffke, N., Eriksson, K. A., Hazen, R. M. & Simpson, E. L. Geology 34, 253–256 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tice, M. M. & Lowe, D. R. Nature 431, 549–552 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Noffke, N. et al. Geobiology 6, 5–20 (2008). |Article|

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Raymond, J. & Segrè, D. Science 311, 1764–1767 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Brocks, J. J., Logan, G. A., Buick, R. & Summons, R. E. Science 285, 1033–1036 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kopp, R. E., Kirschvink, J. L., Hilburn, I. A. & Nash, C. Z. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 11131–11136 (2005).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rashby, S. E., Sessions, A. L., Summons, R. E. & Newman, D. K. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 15099–15104 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Krumbein, W. E., Paterson, D. F. & Stal, L. J. (eds) Biostabilization of Sediments (BIS, Univ. Oldenburg, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Anbar, A. D. et al. Science 317, 1903–1906 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tice, M. Modern life in ancient mats. Nature 452, 40–41 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/452040a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/452040a

  • Springer Nature Limited

Navigation