New Insights into the Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

该项目旨在为地球上生命的起源、前寒武纪生命的多样化以及生命和早期地球环境的共同进化提供新的见解。它将是学科领先的，因为它将把早期生命的研究带到亚微米，从而亚细胞水平。这将为确定早期地球历史中存在的生命类型、它们的新陈代谢、细胞化学以及与环境的相互作用提供新的机会。该项目还旨在为其他行星上的生命提供新的搜索引擎和更强大的评估标准，并帮助解决具体的科学争议，例如，关于35亿年前岩石上的细胞生命说法的有效性。

This project aims to provide new insights into the origin of life on Earth, life’s diversification through the Precambrian, and the co-evolution of life and early Earth environments. It will be discipline-leading in that it will take the study of early life to the sub-micrometre and hence sub-cellular level. This will facilitate new opportunities for identifying the types of life present during early Earth history, their metabolisms, cellular chemistry and interactions with their environment. This project aims to also provide new search engines and more robust assessment criteria for life on other planets, and help to resolve specific scientific controversies, for example, the validity of claims for cellular life from 3.5 billion-year-old rocks.