Geobiology
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 Geobiology facts

• It is a relatively young field, and its borders are fluid
• There is considerable overlap with the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, paleontology, and particularly biogeochemistry
• Geobiology applies the principles and methods of biology and geology to the study of the ancient history of the co-evolution of life and Earth as well as the role of life in the modern world
• Geobiologic studies tend to be focused on microorganisms, and on the role that life plays in altering the chemical and physical environment of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and/or cryosphere
• It differs from biogeochemistry in that the focus is on processes and organisms over space and time rather than on global chemical cycles
• Geobiological research synthesizes the geologic record with modern biologic studies
• It deals with process - how organisms affect the Earth and vice versa - as well as history - how the Earth and life have changed together
• Much research is grounded in the search for fundamental understanding, but geobiology can also be applied, as in the case of microbes that clean up oil spills
• Geobiology employs molecular biology, environmental microbiology, chemical analyses, and the geologic record to investigate the evolutionary interconnectedness of life and Earth
• It attempts to understand how the Earth has changed since the origin of life and what it might have been like along the way