A Testable Fossil Framework for Electrotrophic and Radiotrophic Metabolism in Prototaxites

The central obstacle in resolving the metabolism of Prototaxites has never been biological plausibility, but archaeological recoverability. Enzymes, cofactors, and redox proteins do not fossilize; therefore, demanding their direct presence is a category error that would invalidate the entire field of paleometabolism. The correct approach is to search for the irreversible physical consequences of a field-coupled metabolism—signals that can fossilize. This unified framework outlines six independent, instrument-addressable fossil signatures that together constitute a testable hypothesis for electrotrophy and radiotrophy in Prototaxites. Each signature is grounded in known physics, known diagenetic pathways, and known fossilization processes. A complete elemental inventory demonstrates that all molecular prerequisites for electrotrophic and radiotrophic metabolism were present in Prototaxites fossils.