Head, Laboratory of Precambrian Organisms
Russian Academy of Science
Research Project
Evolution of the Early Biosphere and the Origin of Complex Life Forms.
Over the past few decades an unprecedented interest in rocks older than 550 million years old has lead to a vast literature on what has been called by many the Precambrian. It was during this time that the Earth solidified into the unique planet it is – a planet with a narrow temperature range allowing liquid water to exist, large enough to have gravity to entrap a permanent atmosphere and dynamic enough to produce and maintain an atmosphere in the first place. The Earth is also graced with life, the only planet yet known to have such a quality – life that appeared relatively early in the history of this planet. The main aim of Mikhail Fedonkin’s research is to document and understand the development of life during the Precambrian, especially the time during which the first complex life appeared – the Neoproterozoic - a time when the first animals appeared on the scene in a wide variety of places – Australia, Russia, Newfoundland, the Ukraine, Siberia, the Urals, Namibia, the Northwest Territories of Canada, Montana…and more. This is a time that ranges between 1.8 billion and around 554 million years ago. Most of Fedonkin’s work has centered on the Eastern European Platform, but he has cooperative projects with collegues in Australia, Namibia and North America. He is a co-leader on a UNESCO funded International Correlation Project (IGCP493) for 2003-2007 to continue his research into the changing environments, climate, ocean chemistry and evolution of complexity in the first animals, the metazoans – at a time when Earth was experiencing severe glaciation – cold conditions that in themselves may have given rise to complexity.
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