Manfred Schidlowski (13 November 1933 – 3 October 2012) was a German Professor of

Geochemistry Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

at the Max-Planck-Institut for Chemistry (Otto-Hahn-Institut) in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. His research was concerned with the

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

of the

Early Earth The early Earth is loosely defined as Earth in its first one billion years, or gigayear (Ga, 109y). The “early Earth” encompasses approximately the first gigayear in the evolution of our planet, from its initial formation in the young Solar Sy ...

with a focus on isotope-biogeochemistry and the evidence of the earliest life processes in

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

. Schidlowski is considered the founder of this research direction in Germany and he also shaped international research in isotope biogeochemistry of Precambrian sediments for more than two decades.

Biography and scientific work

Manfred Schidlowski was born in

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

on 13 November 1933. His family left his homeland during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and moved to

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (german: Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostoc ...

. From 1952-1955 he studied at the

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

, and from 1956 at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

, where he received his diploma in geology in 1960 and one year later his doctorate with the "Contribution to the Geology of the Eastern Alps between the Small Walser Valley and the Upper Lech (

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

)". His desire for a change in geoscientific content led him to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, first as a postdoctoral researcher at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...

and then as a mine geologist for the Anglo-Transvaal Consolidated Investment Co. Ltd. at the Loraine Gold Mine to

Allanridge Allanridge is a gold mining town in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality of the Free State province in South Africa. It is the main centre of the Loraine Gold Mining Company and is dominated by the tall headgear and complex reduction works tha ...

in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

. In 1962 he met his future wife Ingrid Piegler, a great-great-granddaughter Heinrich Gottfried Piegler, he married her in 1964. Scientifically, he worked on the

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

of the gold-bearing Witwatersrand sequence. The discovery of detrital, i.e.

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

ary rearranged

pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...

s and

uraninite Uraninite, formerly pitchblende, is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2 but because of oxidation typically contains variable proportions of U3O8. Radioactive decay of the uranium causes t ...

s as well as the frequently occurring

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

aceous material in these layers founded his scientific interest in the early evolution of the Earth and provided the data for his first Nature publication in 1965 with the title "Probable Life-forms from the from the Precambrian of the Witwatersrand System (South Africa)". In 1963 Schidlowski returned to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to work on the

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...

s of the Witwatersrand succession in

Paul Ramdohr Paul A. Ramdohr (1 January 1890 in Überlingen – 8 March 1985 in Hohensachsen/ Weinheim), was a German mineralogist, ore deposit-researcher and a pioneer of ore microscopy. Life After attending school at the "Alten Gymnasium" of Darmstadt ...

's group in the

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. Here the idea of a relationship between the presence of detrital

s and the

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

content of the

Earth's atmosphere The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

was born. He spent the years 1965-1967 at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. Evidence for a biological origin of the carbonaceous material in the Witwatersrand sediments was consolidated during this time by carbon isotope investigations in cooperation with Jochen Hoefs. Afterwards, Schidlowski habilitated at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. In 1969 he moved to the newly founded Institute for Air Chemistry at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz in 1969. Its director, Christian Junge, sent him back to South Africa on a large sampling campaign. The focus was on the carbonates of early Earth history as archives of ocean-atmosphere evolution. Among these were carbonates of the

Lomagundi Lomagundi is a former district of Zimbabwe, originally an alternative form of the name ''Nemakonde'', who was a chief of the Shona in the area. The eastern border of Lomagundi was the Great Dyke The Great Dyke is a linear geological feature t ...

succession from Rhodesia (now

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

) with their unusually positive carbon isotopy. Initially classified as a local feature, it quickly became clear that this was a global phenomenon, one of the most massive changes in global carbon cycle. There is still intense debate about the reasons for this global phenomenon, the basis of which was researched by him. His 1976 publication on this subject (Schidlowski et al., Geochim.Cosmochim. Acta 40: 449-455) is still cited several times in 2012. The move to the Max Planck Institute set the course for Schidlowski's future scientific career: research into the Earth system during the Precambrian. The time in Mainz was interrupted by stays at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, the

University of California Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and the Weizman Institute in Rehovot, Israel. From 1979 to 1989, he was chairman of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

-sponsored IGCP Project 157 (Early Organic Evolution and Mineral and Energy Resources). He established close contacts with geological and geochemical research centres such as the institutes of the

Academy of Sciences of the USSR The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...

, the

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

(Lanzhou, Beijing). Since 1996, he was a member of the exobiology science team of the European Space Agency (ESA). He spent his scientific life researching the development of the atmosphere, the ocean and life on the early Earth. He wrote more than 100 scientific papers in journals and book chapters as well as edited special volumes and books on the topic of the early development of the Earth system. Schidlowski retired in 1998. In 2005 he moved with his wife to

Altusried Altusried is a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu in Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the larges ...

. Here he died on October 3, 2012.
Manfred Schidlowski's research - List of publications
'.

Publications

* Manfred Schidlowski:
Search for Morphological and Biogeochemical Vestiges of Fossil Life in Extraterrestrial Settings: Utility of Terrestrial Evidence
'. In: Horneck G., Baumstark-Khan C. (eds) Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 2002, pages 373–386. * Pitawala, A., Schidlowski, M., Dahanayake, K. et al.:
Geochemical and petrological characteristics of Eppawala phosphate deposits, Sri Lanka
'. In: Miner Deposita, Vol. 38, September 2002, pages 505–515. * Manfred Schidlowski:
Carbon isotopes as biogeochemical recorders of life over 3.8 Ga of Earth history: evolution of a concept
'. In:

Precambrian Research ''Precambrian Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the geology of the Earth and its planetary neighbors. It is published by Elsevier and, , the editors-in-chief are V. Pease (Stockholm University) and G.C. Zhao (University of H ...

, Vol. 106, Issues 1–2, 1 February 2001, pages 117-134 * Yanan Shen, Manfred Schidlowski:
New C isotope stratigraphy from southwest China: Implications for the placement of the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary on the Yangtze Platform and global correlations
'. In: Geology, Vol. 28, Issue 7, 1 July 2000, pages 623–626. * B. Nagy, R. Weber, J.C. Guerrero, M. Schidlowski:
Developments and Interactions of the Precambrian Atmosphere, Lithosphere and Biosphere
'. Latest Edition, 1 April 2000. * Manfred Schidlowski, Stjepko Golubic, Michael M. Kimberley, David M. McKirdy Sr.:
Early Organic Evolution - Implications for Mineral and Energy Resources: A Farewell Address to IGCP Project 157
'. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1992
PDF
* Manfred Schidlowski:
A 3,800-million-year isotopic record of life from carbon in sedimentary rocks
'. In: Nature 333, 26 May 1988, pages 313–318. * Manfred Schildlowski:
Antiquity and Evolutionary Status of Bacterial Sulfate Reduction: Sulfur Isotope Evidence
'. In: Limits of Life, 1980, pages 159–171. * Manfred Schidlowski, Rudolf Eichmann, Christian E. Junge:
Precambrian sedimentary carbonates: carbon and oxygen isotope geochemistry and implications for the terrestrial oxygen budget
'. In: Precambrian Research, Vol 2, Issue 1, February 1975, pages 1-69. * Manfred Schidlowski:
Probable Life-forms from the Precambrian of the Witwatersrand System (South Africa)
'. In: Nature, Vol. 205, 27 February 1965, pages 895–896.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schidlowski, Manfred 1933 births 2012 deaths Geochemists German academics