Nature & Environment
New Research Favors Protein-First High-Salt Environment for Origin of Life on Earth
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Apr 06, 2013 08:05 AM EDT
Billions of years ago, our Earth was composed of a primordial soup. Somehow, some way, life emerged from that mix and eventually became the species that we know today. Now, researchers have made discoveries that could lead scientists a step closer to understanding the origin of life on our planet.
The 3-year study examined 10 amino acids that are believed to have existed on Earth about 4 billion years ago. Using techniques that took more than 17 years to develop--one of which was called the top-down symmetric deconstruction--the researchers identified small peptide building blocks capable of spontaneous assembly into specific and complex protein architectures. The scientists then explored whether these building blocks could be composed of only the 10 prebiotic amino acids and still unfold. Eventually, the team was able to achieve foldability in proteins down to 12 amino acids--still a ways off from the 10 prebiotic ones.
That said, this study could still have ramifications for studying early life on Earth. The first living organisms would have probably been microscope, cell-like organizations that were capable of replicating and adapting to environmental conditions. Researchers have debated back and forth whether RNA came first in a high-temperature environment, or if proteins came first in a halophile environment. The current study seems to support the protein-first theory.
That's not to say that there aren't other findings that have different theories which could potentially merge with or alter the understanding of the current study. Recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Leeds seems to favor the idea that pieces of meteorite could have combined with the acidic soup common on a volcanically-active early Earth and formed a basic version of ATP, which then gave rise to life.
"There are numerous niches that life can evolve into," said Michael Blaber, one of the researchers, in a press release. "For example, extremophiles are organisms that exist in high temperatures, high acidity, extreme cold, extreme pressure and extreme salt and so on. For life to exist in such environments, it is essential that proteins are able to adapt in those conditions. In other words, they have to be able to fold."
Now, Blaber and his team are planning to continue to work on protein-first theory. If his study holds, despite its inability to have only the 10 amino acids, scientists may refocus where they look for evidence in the quest to understand where life began.
The findings are published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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First Posted: Apr 06, 2013 08:05 AM EDT
Billions of years ago, our Earth was composed of a primordial soup. Somehow, some way, life emerged from that mix and eventually became the species that we know today. Now, researchers have made discoveries that could lead scientists a step closer to understanding the origin of life on our planet.
The 3-year study examined 10 amino acids that are believed to have existed on Earth about 4 billion years ago. Using techniques that took more than 17 years to develop--one of which was called the top-down symmetric deconstruction--the researchers identified small peptide building blocks capable of spontaneous assembly into specific and complex protein architectures. The scientists then explored whether these building blocks could be composed of only the 10 prebiotic amino acids and still unfold. Eventually, the team was able to achieve foldability in proteins down to 12 amino acids--still a ways off from the 10 prebiotic ones.
That said, this study could still have ramifications for studying early life on Earth. The first living organisms would have probably been microscope, cell-like organizations that were capable of replicating and adapting to environmental conditions. Researchers have debated back and forth whether RNA came first in a high-temperature environment, or if proteins came first in a halophile environment. The current study seems to support the protein-first theory.
That's not to say that there aren't other findings that have different theories which could potentially merge with or alter the understanding of the current study. Recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Leeds seems to favor the idea that pieces of meteorite could have combined with the acidic soup common on a volcanically-active early Earth and formed a basic version of ATP, which then gave rise to life.
"There are numerous niches that life can evolve into," said Michael Blaber, one of the researchers, in a press release. "For example, extremophiles are organisms that exist in high temperatures, high acidity, extreme cold, extreme pressure and extreme salt and so on. For life to exist in such environments, it is essential that proteins are able to adapt in those conditions. In other words, they have to be able to fold."
Now, Blaber and his team are planning to continue to work on protein-first theory. If his study holds, despite its inability to have only the 10 amino acids, scientists may refocus where they look for evidence in the quest to understand where life began.
The findings are published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone