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Chapter
Earliest Traces of Life as a Window on Life’s Origins
Life is the outcome of a complex network of chemical reactions and molecular interactions that emerged on Earth once primitive chemical automata could self-assemble in such a way that enabled them to self-repr...
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Chapter
Biosignatures in Deep Time
Life on the early Earth inhabited a planet whose environment was vastly different from the Earth of today. An anaerobic and hot early Earth was the birthplace of the first living cells but wide-spread small-sc...
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Chapter
Searching for Signs of Life on Other Planets: Mars a Case Study
Demonstrating the existence of simple life forms (past or present) on a cosmic body other than Earth is exceedingly challenging: (1) A naturally sceptic scientific community expects the evidence to be convinci...
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Chapter
Astrobiology, the Emergence of Life, and Planetary Exploration
Astrobiology brings together scientific disciplines focused on deciphering the origin of life, its nature, evolution, and distribution in the universe. Exceptionally rapid progress in our understanding has bee...
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Chapter
Vesicular Basalts as a Niche for Microbial Life
The ongoing discovery of traces of microbial communities in locations on Earth where conditions are, or were, hostile to life suggests that unknown microbial ecosystems and habitats are yet to be detected. Vol...
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Chapter
Fossil Microorganisms at Methane Seeps: An Astrobiological Perspective
The recent detection of methane in the martian atmosphere has stimulated a debate on its source, including speculations on a possible biological origin as in the Earth’s atmosphere, where methane is present as...