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Published January 2020 | public
Journal Article Metadata-only

Sources of C₃₀ steroid biomarkers in Neoproterozoic–Cambrian rocks and oils

Love, Gordon D. ORCID icon
Zumberge, J. Alex
Cárdenas, Paco ORCID icon
Sperling, Erik A.
Rohrssen, Megan
Grosjean, Emmanuelle
Grotzinger, John P. ORCID icon
Summons, Roger E. ORCID icon

Abstract

Nettersheim et al.propose that unicellular Rhizaria are the likely biological source of the C₃₀ steroidal hydrocarbons found abundantly in Neoproterozoic–Cambrian sedimentary rocks. Their hypothesis challenges earlier research arguing that 24-isopropylcholestane (24-ipc) and 26-methylstigmastane (26-mes) are produced by demosponges and, therefore, early animal biomarkers2. Fundamental problems beset the new steroid biomarker data and its interpretation.

Additional Information

© 2019 Springer Nature Limited. Received 16 May 2019; Accepted 22 October 2019; Published 25 November 2019. Funding support for this work came from the NASA Astrobiology Institute teams (NNA15BB03A) Alternative Earths and (NNA13AA90A) Foundations of Complex Life, as well as from the NASA Exobiology programme (grant number 80NSSC18K1085 to G.D.L.) and additionally, from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through the SponGES project (grant agreement number 679849). We are grateful to X. Cui for conducting GC–QQQ-MS analyses at MIT. Data availability: The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and/or the cited references. Author Contributions: J.A.Z. and G.D.L. performed the MRM GC–MS analyses at UC Riverside and wrote the manuscript in collaboration with R.E.S. J.A.Z., G.D.L. and R.E.S. interpreted the lipid biomarker data. P.C., E.A.S., M.R., E.G. and J.P.G. provided comments and edits on drafts of the manuscripts. The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional details

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August 22, 2023
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October 23, 2023