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Astrobiology Lab
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The lab studies ancient microfossils and river environments.
AboutAbout the lab
Studying ancient microfossils and present-day rivers.
Prof. Sugitani's research group studies early life and ecosystems, using microfossils found in Archean strata as clues.
Working in fields such as the Pilbara Craton in Australia, the group examines microfossils found in strata 3.0 billion and 3.4 billion years old.
The other focus is river research, investigating how dams affect the supply of nutrients from mountains to the sea. The group has also begun surveying biofilms on stones on riverbeds.
On the lab's website, the group is presented under the name "Ken Sugitani's Group."
Key terms
- Archean
- The early part of Earth's history, the period before about 2.5 billion years ago
- Microfossil
- A fossil of an extremely small organism that can be seen only under a microscope
- Biofilm
- A slimy film formed by microorganisms gathering on the surface of stones and other objects
ResearchResearch themes
Using microfossils found in Archean strata as clues, the lab explores the identity of the organisms and the early evolution of life. It also studies rivers, investigating how dams affect the flow of nutrients and the role of biofilms on riverbed stones.
*Illustrative imageThe Identity of Archean Microfossils
The lab studies lens-shaped and other microfossils found in strata 3.0 billion and 3.4 billion years old in the Pilbara Craton. It also examines how their surface structures formed and how the rocks containing the fossils were created, with the goal of clarifying what kinds of organisms they were.
*Illustrative imageNutrients and Biofilms in Dammed Rivers
The lab closely tracks changes in the components dissolved in river water across dams, and considers how dams affect the supply of nutrients from mountains to the sea. It has also begun studying the chemical composition of biofilms that form on river gravel and their role in the phosphorus cycle.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorKenichiro Sugitani
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Olkhon Island, Archean rock formation, Baikal Lake, Russia” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- The Identity of Archean Microfossils: “Stromatolite (Dresser Formation, Paleoarchean, 3.48 Ga; Normay Mine, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia) )” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Nutrients and Biofilms in Dammed Rivers: “Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, Page, Arizona - April 2026” Christian David / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Geochemistry Group Lab): “Mass-spectrometer awi hg” Hannes Grobe / CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth Evolution Group Lab): “AllendeMeteorite” H. Raab / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth History (Nagoya University Museum) Lab): “Eurhinosaurus fossil located under the monumental staircase of the Gallery of Paleontology (French National Museum of Natural History, Paris)” Kintaro / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Material Cycle Science Lab (Urumu Tsunogai)): “EA-IRMS, isotope ratio mass spectrometer with elemental analyzer for the determination of isotope ratios of stable isotopes in wines, spirits, honey and natural sweeteners, in CAFIA laboratory” Sarka Na kopci / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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