How did life evolve from the first bacteria to increasingly complex life, culminating in the appearance of animals and eventually ourselves? How can we better trace incipient life on Earth and beyond? We study the continuous reciprocal interaction between biological evolution and a changing Earth system from a holistic perspective, and search for new biosignatures. Our focus lies on fossil carbon in the form of morphological remnants (fossils), stable isotope signatures in organics and on ancient sedimentary hydrocarbons as the remnants of biological lipids. Parallel molecular biological approaches focus on evolving lipid biosynthetic capabilities through Earth history.