Minerals formed through direct (biologically-controlled) and indirect (biologically-induced) biological processes are significant agents in tracing the evolution of life and the environment throughout Earth's history. Calcified microbes, especially cyanobacteria in the Precambrian, provide us with a window to understand the mechanisms of the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) and the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis. However, the question of why certain microbes were preserved as mineralized fossils in sedimentary rocks while others were not remains unanswered. Additionally, it remains a significant challenge to distinguish whether certain minerals in rocks were formed through biotic or abiotic processes. Modern laboratory incubation experiments suggest that a wide variety of microbes are capable of mediating the precipitation of minerals, either directly or indirectly, thereby enhancing the calcification and mineralization of the microbes themselves. We encourage submissions from authors discussing various minerals formed through direct and indirect microbial processes in incubation experiments and sedimentary rock records. It is hoped that through this session, we can bridge the gap in understanding microbial mineralization processes between the rock record and laboratory experiments, and promote applications in geobiological, paleoclimatological and astrobiological studies.