spring-2017

Paleogenomics and Geobiology

Paleogenomics has a variety of research agendas, and one of them is to understand the genes involved in key changes in the evolutionary history of life and when those genes and their interactions first evolved. Geobiology is centred on interactions of the biosphere with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. In deep time geobiology has focused on critical intervals of change for Earth and its biota. Such geobiological studies include data from paleobiology, geochemistry and sedimentary geology within an interdisciplinary framework. The combination of geobiology and paleogenomic studies is a powerful approach which leads to a more fundamental understanding of how Earth and life have changed through time. Such work will ultimately provide a history of genomic change and the environmental factors that influenced it, as well as how genomic changed influenced environments.