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Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential.

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Title: Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential.
Authors: Hirsch, Solomon1 (AUTHOR) s.hirsch23@ic.ac.uk, McMahon, Sean2,3 (AUTHOR), Najorka, Jens4 (AUTHOR), Sephton, Mark A.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Geobiology. Mar/Apr2026, Vol. 24 Issue 2, p1-12. 12p.
Subject Terms: *Fossilization, *Extraterrestrial life, *Fossil microorganisms, *Analytical geochemistry, *Fossils, *Fibers
Abstract: Observations of morphology are commonly used to evaluate the biogenicity of terrestrial microfossils and could constitute a crucial line of evidence for extraterrestrial life‐detection missions in the future. However, evaluating the origin of morphological features in the rock record can be problematic because naturally occurring abiotic structures can resemble biological morphologies, which may lead to false‐positive detections of fossilised life. Iron‐mineralised chemical gardens have been highlighted as potentially confounding abiotic structures because of their morphological and chemical resemblance to biomineralised filaments. Despite this, the potential for chemical garden structures to be preserved in the fossil record has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we subjected abiotic iron‐mineralised chemical garden structures to artificial maturation using hydrous pyrolysis, in order to evaluate their preservation potential. We found that these abiotic filaments were relatively resistant to degradation caused by maturation when compared with analogous biological material. Additionally, the transformation of ferrihydrite to crystalline iron oxides was found to be relatively inhibited, likely because of the influence of silica. These findings highlight the need for fossilised filamentous material to be distinguished from chemical garden structures before a biological origin can be confidently attributed, particularly when observed in significantly altered rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Energy & Power Source
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Header DbId: enr
DbLabel: Energy & Power Source
An: 193399517
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
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  Data: Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Geobiology%22">Geobiology</searchLink>. Mar/Apr2026, Vol. 24 Issue 2, p1-12. 12p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossilization%22">Fossilization</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Extraterrestrial+life%22">Extraterrestrial life</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossil+microorganisms%22">Fossil microorganisms</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Analytical+geochemistry%22">Analytical geochemistry</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossils%22">Fossils</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fibers%22">Fibers</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Observations of morphology are commonly used to evaluate the biogenicity of terrestrial microfossils and could constitute a crucial line of evidence for extraterrestrial life‐detection missions in the future. However, evaluating the origin of morphological features in the rock record can be problematic because naturally occurring abiotic structures can resemble biological morphologies, which may lead to false‐positive detections of fossilised life. Iron‐mineralised chemical gardens have been highlighted as potentially confounding abiotic structures because of their morphological and chemical resemblance to biomineralised filaments. Despite this, the potential for chemical garden structures to be preserved in the fossil record has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we subjected abiotic iron‐mineralised chemical garden structures to artificial maturation using hydrous pyrolysis, in order to evaluate their preservation potential. We found that these abiotic filaments were relatively resistant to degradation caused by maturation when compared with analogous biological material. Additionally, the transformation of ferrihydrite to crystalline iron oxides was found to be relatively inhibited, likely because of the influence of silica. These findings highlight the need for fossilised filamentous material to be distinguished from chemical garden structures before a biological origin can be confidently attributed, particularly when observed in significantly altered rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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        Value: 10.1111/gbi.70045
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Extraterrestrial life
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      – SubjectFull: Fossil microorganisms
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      – SubjectFull: Analytical geochemistry
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      – SubjectFull: Fibers
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      – TitleFull: Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential.
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              Text: Mar/Apr2026
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              Y: 2026
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