Laser-Raman imagery is a sensitive, noninvasive, and nondestruc- tive technique that can be used to correlate directly chemical composition with optically discernable morphology in ancient carbonaceous fossils. By affording means to investigate the mo- lecular makeup of specimens ranging from megascopic to micro- scopic, it holds promise for providing insight into aspects of organic metamorphism and biochemical evolution, and for clarifying the nature of ancient minute fossil-like objects of putative but uncer- tain biogenicity.
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