#origin_of_life — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Open Society News - Новости @[email protected] · 2026-07-01 · 08:11 UTC

Metal-driven chemical reaction in deep sea may explain origin of life | Science | AAAS

Phosphate—a simple molecule composed of phosphorus and four oxygen atoms—is a cornerstone of biochemistry: it binds nucleotides into DNA chains and is involved in energy storage in the form of ATP. However, its chemical properties are paradoxical—it dissolves extremely poorly in water and reacts poorly, making it an unlikely candidate for a key player in the origin of life.

Evolutionary biologist William Martin of Heinrich-Heine-Universität offers an elegant solution to this paradox. He believes that the key step—the incorporation of phosphate into organic chemistry—occurred not in the primordial "soup," but at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, where minerals and metals acted as catalysts, replacing enzymes. His team tested this hypothesis experimentally and found that palladium (and to a lesser extent nickel) effectively catalyzes the addition of phosphate to key biomolecules—ribose, glucose, creatine, and AMP—at concentrations close to intracellular levels. Critically, all the necessary ingredients for this reaction are present in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents; the rocks there contain both nickel and palladium, as well as phosphite itself, and their porous structure creates a huge surface area for catalytic reactions.

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents
https://www.science.org/content/article/metal-driven-chemical-reaction-deep-sea-may-explain-origin-life

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents

Open Society News - Новости @[email protected] · 2026-07-01 · 08:11 UTC

Metal-driven chemical reaction in deep sea may explain origin of life | Science | AAAS

Phosphate—a simple molecule composed of phosphorus and four oxygen atoms—is a cornerstone of biochemistry: it binds nucleotides into DNA chains and is involved in energy storage in the form of ATP. However, its chemical properties are paradoxical—it dissolves extremely poorly in water and reacts poorly, making it an unlikely candidate for a key player in the origin of life.

Evolutionary biologist William Martin of Heinrich-Heine-Universität offers an elegant solution to this paradox. He believes that the key step—the incorporation of phosphate into organic chemistry—occurred not in the primordial "soup," but at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, where minerals and metals acted as catalysts, replacing enzymes. His team tested this hypothesis experimentally and found that palladium (and to a lesser extent nickel) effectively catalyzes the addition of phosphate to key biomolecules—ribose, glucose, creatine, and AMP—at concentrations close to intracellular levels. Critically, all the necessary ingredients for this reaction are present in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents; the rocks there contain both nickel and palladium, as well as phosphite itself, and their porous structure creates a huge surface area for catalytic reactions.

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents
https://www.science.org/content/article/metal-driven-chemical-reaction-deep-sea-may-explain-origin-life

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents

Open Society News - Новости @[email protected] · 2026-07-01 · 08:11 UTC

Metal-driven chemical reaction in deep sea may explain origin of life | Science | AAAS

Phosphate—a simple molecule composed of phosphorus and four oxygen atoms—is a cornerstone of biochemistry: it binds nucleotides into DNA chains and is involved in energy storage in the form of ATP. However, its chemical properties are paradoxical—it dissolves extremely poorly in water and reacts poorly, making it an unlikely candidate for a key player in the origin of life.

Evolutionary biologist William Martin of Heinrich-Heine-Universität offers an elegant solution to this paradox. He believes that the key step—the incorporation of phosphate into organic chemistry—occurred not in the primordial "soup," but at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, where minerals and metals acted as catalysts, replacing enzymes. His team tested this hypothesis experimentally and found that palladium (and to a lesser extent nickel) effectively catalyzes the addition of phosphate to key biomolecules—ribose, glucose, creatine, and AMP—at concentrations close to intracellular levels. Critically, all the necessary ingredients for this reaction are present in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents; the rocks there contain both nickel and palladium, as well as phosphite itself, and their porous structure creates a huge surface area for catalytic reactions.

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents
https://www.science.org/content/article/metal-driven-chemical-reaction-deep-sea-may-explain-origin-life

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents

Open Society News - Новости @[email protected] · 2026-07-01 · 08:11 UTC

Metal-driven chemical reaction in deep sea may explain origin of life | Science | AAAS

Phosphate—a simple molecule composed of phosphorus and four oxygen atoms—is a cornerstone of biochemistry: it binds nucleotides into DNA chains and is involved in energy storage in the form of ATP. However, its chemical properties are paradoxical—it dissolves extremely poorly in water and reacts poorly, making it an unlikely candidate for a key player in the origin of life.

Evolutionary biologist William Martin of Heinrich-Heine-Universität offers an elegant solution to this paradox. He believes that the key step—the incorporation of phosphate into organic chemistry—occurred not in the primordial "soup," but at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, where minerals and metals acted as catalysts, replacing enzymes. His team tested this hypothesis experimentally and found that palladium (and to a lesser extent nickel) effectively catalyzes the addition of phosphate to key biomolecules—ribose, glucose, creatine, and AMP—at concentrations close to intracellular levels. Critically, all the necessary ingredients for this reaction are present in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents; the rocks there contain both nickel and palladium, as well as phosphite itself, and their porous structure creates a huge surface area for catalytic reactions.

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents
https://www.science.org/content/article/metal-driven-chemical-reaction-deep-sea-may-explain-origin-life

#geothermal_vents #origin_of_life #science #evolution

Open Society News - Новости @[email protected] · 2026-07-01 · 08:11 UTC

Metal-driven chemical reaction in deep sea may explain origin of life | Science | AAAS

Phosphate—a simple molecule composed of phosphorus and four oxygen atoms—is a cornerstone of biochemistry: it binds nucleotides into DNA chains and is involved in energy storage in the form of ATP. However, its chemical properties are paradoxical—it dissolves extremely poorly in water and reacts poorly, making it an unlikely candidate for a key player in the origin of life.

Evolutionary biologist William Martin of Heinrich-Heine-Universität offers an elegant solution to this paradox. He believes that the key step—the incorporation of phosphate into organic chemistry—occurred not in the primordial "soup," but at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, where minerals and metals acted as catalysts, replacing enzymes. His team tested this hypothesis experimentally and found that palladium (and to a lesser extent nickel) effectively catalyzes the addition of phosphate to key biomolecules—ribose, glucose, creatine, and AMP—at concentrations close to intracellular levels. Critically, all the necessary ingredients for this reaction are present in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents; the rocks there contain both nickel and palladium, as well as phosphite itself, and their porous structure creates a huge surface area for catalytic reactions.

#evolution #science #origin_of_life #geothermal_vents
https://www.science.org/content/article/metal-driven-chemical-reaction-deep-sea-may-explain-origin-life