Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30374101›Full record

ArticleNature communications2018

Reduction spheroids preserve a uranium isotope record of the ancient deep continental biosphere.

Sean McMahon, Ashleigh V S Hood, John Parnell, Stephen Bowden

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sean McMahonDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208109, New Haven, CT, 06520-8109, USA. sean.mcmahon@ed.ac.uk.
Ashleigh V S HoodDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208109, New Haven, CT, 06520-8109, USA.
John ParnellSchool of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK.
Stephen BowdenSchool of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK.

Funding

EC | Horizon 2020 (European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation) 747877Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) NE/L001764/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Life on Earth extends to several kilometres below the land surface and seafloor. This deep biosphere is second only to plants in its total biomass, is metabolically active and diverse, and is likely to have played critical roles over geological time in the evolution of microbial diversity, diagenetic processes and biogeochemical cycles. However, these roles are obscured by a paucity of fossil and geochemical evidence. Here we apply the recently developed uranium-isotope proxy for biological uranium reduction to reduction spheroids in continental rocks (red beds). Although these common palaeo-redox features have previously been suggested to reflect deep bacterial activity, unequivocal evidence for biogenicity has been lacking. Our analyses reveal that the uranium present in reduction spheroids is isotopically heavy, which is most parsimoniously explained as a signal of ancient bacterial uranium reduction, revealing a compelling record of Earth's deep biosphere.

Indexed as

BacteriaBiodiversityBiological EvolutionBiomarkersEarth, PlanetEvolution, PlanetaryGeologic SedimentsIsotopesOxidation-ReductionPaleontologySpheroids, CellularUraniumBiomarkersIsotopesUranium

Identifiers

PMID30374101
PMCPMC6206012

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.