Diagenesis is the suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes that alter unconsolidated sediments and organic matter after deposition and during burial, but prior to metamorphism. It includes compaction, cementation, dissolution, recrystallization, and mineral authigenesis, driven by changes in temperature, pressure, pore-fluid composition, and microbial activity. Diagenetic reactions modify porosity, permeability, mineralogy, and geochemical signatures, thereby controlling reservoir quality in sedimentary basins and the preservation of fossils and biomarkers. Diagenesis also mediates early lithification, redox transformations, and element cycling, and is a key consideration in interpreting sedimentary records, isotopic proxies, and diagenetic fronts in both siliciclastic and carbonate systems.
In September 2025, NASA announced that its Perseverance rover had discovered a potential biosignature, which is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin. A new paper, published in Science Advances, unambiguously ...
Astrobiology
Jun 24, 2026
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139
More than 100 million years ago, a flying reptile called a pterosaur flew over the oceans hunting squid and fish.
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 19, 2026
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17
Billions of years ago, environmental conditions on Mars were significantly more hospitable than they are today. Our neighboring planet was likely warm, humid and surrounded by a dense atmosphere. Whether simple microorganisms ...
Astrobiology
Jun 18, 2026
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235
An international study led by Curtin University has revealed new insights into how an ancient flying reptile was preserved in extraordinary detail for 113 million years, offering a rare glimpse into a vanished world.
Paleontology & Fossils
Jun 18, 2026
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522
Scientists at Curtin University have solved a long-standing mystery about how some of the world's best-preserved fossils formed in ancient oxygen-free ocean floor settings. The research, published in Communications Earth ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 26, 2026
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35
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover discovered these bumpy, pea-sized nodules while exploring a region filled with boxwork formations—low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. This ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 1, 2026
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82
In a new paper in Science, experts from the University of Chicago describe steps that took place some 66 million years ago to transform the carcasses of a duck-billed dinosaur, Edmontosaurus annectens, into dinosaur "mummies" ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Oct 23, 2025
0
186
An international research team led by Curtin University has used prehistoric feces to better understand how molecular fossilization works, offering a new window into what ancient animals ate, the world they lived in and what ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 19, 2025
0
172
