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Silica-Carbonate Biomorphs and the Implications for Identification Of Microfossils

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Life in the Universe

Abstract

The possibility of pseudofossils is a well-known obstacle to the identification of fossilized microorganisms (Cloud, 1973; Westall, 1999) and distinguishing abiotic from biotic origins is still a hotly debated topic (Dalton 2002; Schopf et al., 2002; Brasier et al., 2002). Here we report silica-carbonate aggregates, so-called ‘biomorphs’ that mimic—both morphologically and chemically-primitive microfossils.

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© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Carnerup, A.M., Hyde, S.T., Larsson, AK., Christy, A.G., GarcÍa-Ruiz, J.M. (2004). Silica-Carbonate Biomorphs and the Implications for Identification Of Microfossils. In: Seckbach, J., Chela-Flores, J., Owen, T., Raulin, F. (eds) Life in the Universe. Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1003-0_46

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1003-0_46

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3093-2

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