NAI-supported research published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta presents new techniques for analyzing Precambrian microscopic fossils. Fossils left behind by microorganisms can provide a great deal of information about the ancient Earth, but they are also very hard to identify. Determining whether putative fossils are truly biological in origin has long been a challenge for astrobiologists. The new study not only helps identify biological microfossils, but could also provide detailed information about the cells that produced them.

The scientists performed carbon isotope analysis of individual microfossils at high enough resolution to study individual components of cells. The team was able to distinguish metabolic fingerprints within the microbial communities, which could allow researchers to determine whether microfossils come from eukaryotic or prokaryotic organisms.