Inside some of the oldest rocks on the planet are previously forgotten nanocrystals that tell the story of the origin of life on our planet.
Earth’s history dates back more than 4.5 billion years, but we still know very little about how life began on it. Scientists have been trying to solve this mystery for years, but have not yet gone beyond theories. Science Alert writes that researchers have now discovered new clues hidden in tiny crystals in some of the oldest rocks on Earth.
A team of geoscientists from the University of Western Australia and the University of Cambridge believe their findings may explain why phosphorus became the basic building block of life on Earth and how molecules first came together to form primitive RNA in hydrothermal vents on the seafloor.
In Focus. Technologies emerged telegram channel. Subscribe to avoid missing the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!
During the research, the team examined 3.5 billion-year-old rocks collected from the Pilbara region of Western Australia under a transmission electron microscope and discovered something unusual.
Note that the Pilbara is known for being able to preserve the earth’s crust in its original form during the Archean period, when life was just beginning on Earth. This is why the rocks in this region represent so-called “time capsules” that store information about the Earth’s prebiotic chemistry.
Scientists initially believed that the rock was a mixture of fine quartz and hematite, but upon closer examination they discovered something surprising: hidden nanocrystals with interesting properties. Scientists discovered dispersed particles of greenlite, a mineral containing iron, silicon and oxygen. Greenlite is believed to have been ejected from a nearby hydrothermal vent billions of years ago and deposited on the seafloor.
According to geologist Birger Rasmussen of the University of Western Australia, they discovered more hidden amounts of iron clay. It seemed surprising that tiny particles could be seen in such old rocks, and part of this was due to the fact that they were covered in these relatively “chemically inert” materials.
Greenalite actually creates a series of parallel grooves along the edges that are perfectly sized for RNA and DNA. In simple terms, this makes clay nanoparticles an ideal catalytic vehicle for aligning the components of these biomolecules so that they can easily bond with each other.
Scientists now believe that billions of years ago, hydrothermal vents likely formed trillions of microscopic corrugated clay particles, which then acted as an assembly line, condensing RNA or pre-RNA.
Note that researchers have previously considered hydrothermal vents as a possible site for the origin of life on Earth. Now the team has discovered that the 3.5-billion-year-old Pilbara rocks also contain nanoparticles of fluorapatite (a mineral composed of oxygen, calcium, fluorine and phosphorus). It has been a mystery why phosphorus is found in many biological structures, including DNA, despite such low concentrations in the ocean. The results of a new study explain this mystery.
The team’s modeling suggests that phosphorus concentrations in ancient Earth’s deep-sea environment about 3.5 billion years ago were likely 10 to 100 times higher than today. But it remains a mystery why earthly life chooses phosphorus for many important biochemical processes, including the production of genetic material.
Previously Focus He wrote about how life arose on Earth: Scientists believe they are closer to the answer.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.