These findings imply that the cenancestral population was likely mesophilic, gram-positive, surrounded by a peptidoglycan layer, and enclosed by ester-linked lipids. Lake JA, Herbold CW, Rivera MC, Servin JA, Skophammer RG. (2007). Rooting the tree of life using nonubiquitous

genes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 24:130–136. Servin JA, Herbold CW, Skophammer RG, Lake JA. (2008). Evidence excluding the root of the tree of life from the actinobacteria. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25:1–4. Skophammer RG, Herbold CW, Rivera MC, Servin JA, Lake JA. (2006). Evidence Obeticholic Acid datasheet that the root of the tree of life is not within the Archaea. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 23:1648–1651. Skophammer RG, Servin JA, Herbold CW, Lake JA. (2007). Evidence for a gram-positive, eubacterial root of the tree of life. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 24:1761–1768. E-mail: skop@ucla.​edu Proterozoic Stromatolites and Microfossils from the Lesser Himalaya, India: Unicellular to Multicellular Evolution

of Life Caspase inhibitor Vinod C. Tewari Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India and A.S.International Centre for Theoretica Physics, Trieste, Italy The Meso–Neoproterozoic and Terminal Proterozoic succession of the Lesser Himalaya in the northern India shows excellent preservation of stromatolites and microorganisms from the Jammu Limestone in the NW and Buxa Dolomite in the NE. The most dominant stromatolite assemblage include Colonnella columnaris, Kussiella kussiensis, Conophyton cylindricus,

C. garganicus, Jacutophyton, Baicalia, Jurusania, Gymnosolen, Minjaria, Inzeria, Tungussia, Boxonia and Stratifera. The Krol belt in the central Lesser Himalaya is characterized by mostly stratified and small conical and columnar forms like Stratifera, Conistratifera, Conophyton, Aldania and Collumnaefacta.(Tewari, 1989, 1993, 2004, 2007). Deoban and Buxa black cherts show highly diversified permineralised microbiota. Cyanobacteria found in the Deoban and Buxa cherts include Huronispora psilata, most Myxococcoides minor, Glenobotrydion aenigmatis, Siphonophycus, Oscillatoriopsis, Obruchevella, and Kildinosphaera (Tewari, 2004, Shukla et al 2006, Schopf et al. 2008). The acritarchs show morphological changes through time and therefore has been used as stratigraphic marker in the Infra Krol-Krol cherts of the Lesser Himalaya. The acanthomorphic acritarchs and leiosphaerids are present in the Infra Krol cherts and disappear before the emergence of the Ediacaran biota in the Krol Formation. The acanthomorphs in the Infra Krol and Buxa cherts include Micrhystridium, Trachysphaeridium and Vandalosphaeridium. The multicellular red brown algae Vendotaenia, Krolotaenia, Tyrasotaenia, have been recorded from the Lower Krol Formation (Tewari, 1989, 2004). The Ediacaran assemblage has been recorded The Upper Krol Formation of the Lesser Himalaya.