INACMA

Inorganic Nanoparticles in Archaean Carbonaceous Matter - a key to early life and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions

Coordinatore	ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA    more  Organization address address: Via Zamboni 33 city: BOLOGNA postcode: 40126 contact info Titolo: Prof. Nome: Roberto Cognome: Barbieri Email: send email Telefono: +39 051 2094575 Fax: +39 051 2094522
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Italy [IT]
Totale costo	100˙000 €
EC contributo	100˙000 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG
Funding Scheme	MC-CIG
Anno di inizio	2014
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2014-01-01   -   2017-12-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA  Organization address address: Via Zamboni 33 city: BOLOGNA postcode: 40126 contact info Titolo: Prof. Nome: Roberto Cognome: Barbieri Email: send email Telefono: +39 051 2094575 Fax: +39 051 2094522	IT (BOLOGNA)	coordinator	100˙000.00

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Earth is a dynamic system influenced by the interactions between life and physical environments at all scales of space and time. Though our planet is ~4.6 Gyr old, we don’t know yet when and in which environmental conditions it first became home to life. The early rocks hold the answers to these questions, but in a scattered and fragmentary manner with traces of life often being highly altered. This project could provide a substantial contribution to the understanding of early life on Earth: Inorganic Nanoparticles (IN) in Archaean (A) Carbonaceous Matter (CMa) will be investigated to decipher crucial aspects of early life framed in its environmental context. IN are naturally formed and removed from the environment by various chemical and biological processes. Relationships between microorganisms and adsorption of specific IN, and physico-chemical parameters have been observed in natural environments. Therefore, IN have a great potential as a biosignature and paleoenvironmental proxy when associated to fossil objects. Archaean cherts of Barberton greenstone belt (South Africa) contain the oldest known traces of fossil life in a well-preserved geological context. Micro-/nano-scale investigations of the nature and distribution of CMa and related IN in these primitive cherts by using a combination of high resolution microscopy techniques, will allow to: • evaluate the composition and texture of carbonaceous chert, and identify the nature of the CMa and its IN; • establish a relationship between IN content and specific types of CMa; • explore their roles in the Archaean bio-geochemical processes, and their potential as biosignatures. This project combines the experience of the applicant in biosignatures, her expertise in microscopy, and a network of internationally reputed scientists. The CIG Grant can make possible to realize this project, support the researchers integration at the Host Institutions, and enhance her academic carrier to obtain a professorship position.'