12.158
Molecular Biogeochemistry
Fall 2011
This course covers all aspects of molecular biosignatures, such as their pathways of lipid biosynthesis, the distribution patterns of lipid biosynthetic pathways with regard to phylogeny and physiology, isotopic contents, occurrence in modern organisms and environments, diagenetic pathways, analytical techniques and the occurrence of molecular fossils through the geological record. Students analyze in depth the recent literature on chemical fossils. Lectures provide background on the subject matter. Basic knowledge of organic chemistry required. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
Readings
- Hayes, J. M. “Fractionation of the Isotopes of Carbon and Hydrogen in Biosynthetic Processes.” In Stable Isotopic Geochemistry (Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 43) . Edited by J. W. Valley and D. R. Cole. Mineralogical Society of America, 2001, pp. 225–78. ISBN: 9780939950553.
- Killops, S., and V. Killops. An Introduction to Organic Geochemistry . Wiley-Blackwell, 2005. ISBN: 9780632065042.
- Gaines, S. M., G. Eglinton, and J. Rullkötter. Echoes of Life: What Fossil Molecules Reveal about Earth History . Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780195176193.
- Hayes, J. M. “Fractionation of the Isotopes of Carbon and Hydrogen in Biosynthetic Processes.” In Stable Isotopic Geochemistry (Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Volume 43) . Edited by J. W. Valley and D. R. Cole. Mineralogical Society of America, 2001, pp. 225–78. ISBN: 9780939950553.
- Volkman, J. K., and J. R. Maxwell. “Acyclic Isoprenoids as Biological Markers.” In Biological Markers and the Sedimentary Record (Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics) . Edited by R. B. Johns. Elsevier Science Ltd., 1987, pp. P1–42. ISBN: 9780444425980.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗Historical OpenCourseWare
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.