[VadeRetro]

This part in particular hurts Schopf the most:

Brasier says his examination of the specimens revealed structures "indistinguishable from graphitic mineral growths that occur alongside [the purported fossils] - they frequently branch chaotically in the same way and intergrade continuously with the shapes of inanimate matter."

I tend to only quote Schopf now on matters rather far from his Apex chert fossils.

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed, that is a troubling counter-argument to Schopf. As I recall, his counter-counter-argument was that it was only one of an array of evidence leading to his conclusions.

Nevertheless, it puts all of Schopf's work in a poor light. But I'm not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water, not until we see what the interdisciplinary seminar hammers out next month.