Resurrecting ancestral genes in bacteria to interpret ancient biosignatures.

ABSTRACT: Two datasets, the geologic record and the genetic content of extant organisms, provide complementary insights into the history of how key molecular components have shaped or driven global environmental and macroevolutionary trends. Changes in global physico-chemical modes over time are thought to be a consistent feature of this relationship between Earth and life, as life is thought to have been optimizing protein functions for the entirety of its approximately 3.8 billion years of history on the Earth. Organismal survival depends on how well critical genetic and metabolic components can adapt to their environments, reflecting an ability to optimize efficiently to changing conditions. The geologic record provides an array of biologically independent indicators of macroscale atmospheric and

SUBMITTER: Kacar B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5686408 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature