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Life as a geologic force: New opportunities for paleontology?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

Peter Westbroek
Peter Westbroek*
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry, University of Leiden, Wassenaarseweg 64, 2333 AL Leiden, The Netherlands
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Extract

From a geological point of view, life is an integrated part of the exogenic cycle, a mere elaboration of the physical and chemical processes operating on earth. The origin of life marks the transition from a physical and chemical world into one where physical, chemical, and biological processes form an integrated continuum. Life is at work in a big way, and one may regard the biosphere as a laminar, highly activated global envelope, energized by solar radiation, modeling the terrestrial physiognomy, and catalyzing major geochemical reactions. There can be no doubt that the biota have exerted a profound influence on the development of our planet. The history of life and the earth is one of coevolution (Dubos 1979).

Type
Current Happenings
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , Spring 1983 , pp. 91 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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