International year of planet earth 6. Biosignatures, interpreting evidence of the origins and diversity of life

Biosignatures are molecular, mineral or isotopic patterns that can be unambiguously interpreted as evidence of life and so provide the means for us to address our most fundamental questions about the origins and evolution of life. Biosignatures of microbial life are especially important to our understanding of early Earth history, and can be recorded in magnetic mineral traces, various carbon compounds, and stable isotope ratios of many …