#  Andrew H. Knoll 

Fisher Professor of Natural History and Earth and Planetary Sciences, Emeritus

 

 

 



   ![Andrew H. Knoll with short light hair, wearing a light blue button down and glasses, smiling, with grey background](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/oeb/files/andy_knoll_crop.jpeg?itok=3tAhIOgY) 

 



 

 location\_on The Museum of Comparative Zoology 26 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138 

 smartphone [617-495-9306](tel:617-495-9306) 

 email <aknoll@oeb.harvard.edu> 

 



 

Faculty Support: [Kathleen McCloskey](https://eps.harvard.edu/people/kathleen-mccloskey/)

Andy Knoll is broadly interested in the evolution of life, the evolution of Earth surface environments, and the relationships between the two. He is particularly interested in Archean and Proterozoic paleontology and biogeochemistry; however, both past and current projects include investigations of selected problems in Phanerozoic Earth history. Motivating evolutionary issues include the diversification of prokaryotic metabolisms on the Precambrian Earth, the initial radiation of eukaryotic life, and the rise of large complex algae and animals near the end of the Proterozoic Eon, as well as phytoplankton evolution and mass extinctions. In a genuine extension of this research, Knoll is also involved in Mars exploration.

**Recent Publications**

Miao, L., Z. Yun, **A.H. Knoll**, Y. Qu, and M. Zhu (2024) 1.63-billion-year-old multicellular eukaryotes from the Chuanlinggou Formation in North China. Science Advances 10: eadk3208.

Drabon, N., **A.H. Knoll**, D.R. Lowe, S. Bernasconi, A. Brenner, and D. Mucciarone (2024) Effect of a giant meteorite impact on Paleoarchean surface environments and life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 121(44): e2408721121

Petrucciana, A., **A.H. Knoll**, and A. Norici. (2022) Si decline and diatom evolution: insights from physiological experiments. *Frontiers in Marine Science Sci.* 9:924452; doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.924452.

Wordsworth, R., **A.H. Knoll**, J. Hurowitz, M. Baum, B. Ehlmann, J. Head III, and K. Steakley (2021) An integrated scenario for the climate and redox evolution of Mars. *Nature Geoscience* 14(3): doi.org/ 10.1038/s41561-021-00701-8.

Laakso, T.A., E.A Sperling, D.T. Johnston, and **A.H. Knoll** (2020) Ediacaran reorganization of the marine phosphorus cycle. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* 117: 11961–11967.

Gilbert, P.U.P.A., S.M. Porter, C.-Y. Sun, S. Xiao, B.M. Gibson, N. Shenkar, and **A.H. Knoll** (2019) Biomineralization by particle attachment in early animals. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA* 116: 17659-17665.

Muscente, A.D., A. Prabhub, H. Zhong, A. Eleish, M. Meyer, P. Fox, R. Hazen, and **A.H. Knoll** (2018) Quantifying ecological impacts of mass extinctions with network analysis of fossil communities. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA* 115: 5217–5222.

Javaux, E.J. and **A.H. Knoll** (2017) Micropaleontology of the Lower Mesoproterozoic Roper Group, Australia. *Journal of Paleontology* 91: 199-229.

**Knoll, A.H**. and M.J. Follows (2016) A bottom-up perspective on ecosystem change in Mesozoic oceans. *Proceedings of the Royal Society, B* **283**: 20161755.

Sperling, E.A., C.A. Frieder, P.R. Girguis, A.V. Raman, L.A. Levin, and **A.H. Knoll** (2013) Oxygen, ecology, and the Cambrian radiation of animals. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA* **110**: 13446-13451.

**Knoll, A.H**. (2011) The multiple origins of complex multicellularity. *Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences* **39**: 217–239.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Building
    
     [MCZ](/building/mcz)
- ## Faculty Affiliation
    
     [Museum of Comparative Zoology](/faculty-affiliation/museum-comparative-zoology)
- ## Lab Group
    
     [Knoll Lab Members](/lab-group/knoll-group)
- ## People
    
     [Faculty](/people/faculty) [Emeritus Faculty](/people/emeritus-faculty)
- ## Research Areas
    
     [Evolution](/research-areas/evolution) [Ecology](/research-areas/ecology) [Biodiversity &amp; Systematics](/research-areas/biodiversity-and-systematics) [Paleobiology](/research-areas/paleobiology)
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