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Early Precambrian oxygen: a case against photosynthesis

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Abstract

Recent biological–biochemical and geological–geochemical data are inconsistent with the currently accepted view that early Precambrian fossil microbiotas are evidence of oxygen-generating photosynthesis contributing free oxygen to early Precambrian environments. The alternative is atmospheric photodissociation, perhaps with cyclic or periodic instability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C., 20560

    Kenneth M. Towe

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  1. Kenneth M. Towe
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Towe, K. Early Precambrian oxygen: a case against photosynthesis. Nature 274, 657–661 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/274657a0

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