From the reviews: "This book emphasizes the study of Precambrian paleontology and its implications for investigating extraterrestrial biosignatures. ... Largely technical in nature, this fascinating volume ... will be of great interest to astrobiologists, planetary astronomers, evolutionary biologists, and paleontologists. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections." (D. A. Brass, Choice, Vol. 46 (9), May, 2009) "In this book, expert scientists from 15 countries present peer-reviewed, stimulating reviews of paleontological and astrobiological studies. The overviews of established and emerging techniques for studying modern and ancient microorganisms on Earth and beyond will be valuable guides to evaluating biosignatures that could be found in the extraterrestrial surface or subsurface within the solar system and beyond. ... It is a unique volume among astrobiology monographs in focusing on fossil evidence from the geological record and will be valuable to students and researchers ... ." (Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin, 2009)