The chemistry that sparked the origin of life – Informe21.com

The universe is a cold, dark and absolutely immense hell. Light rays take thousands of years to travel the galaxies and the stars are so far apart that are just points in the blackness. Amid the darkness, the average temperature of the universe is around 270 degrees Celsius, almost to a minimum limit. But neither empty nor cold have managed to avoid the appearance of a small and surprising miracle: life

Scientists have spent many years trying to figure out how it was possible to happen.. How, in the midst of death, life seems to struggle against chaos and cling to survival with everything at its disposal. Recently, researchers have discovered something that had been looking for 50 years. For the first time, they have managed to find a chemical explanation for a small part of this miracle. Specifically, an article recently published in “Science” explained how some inanimate molecules can be converted into RNA, one of the sparks that ignited the origin of life.

“We describe a simple chemical route that allows small molecules become nucleosides, RNA precursors, “explained ABC Thomas Carell, a chemist at the University of Munich and first author of the study.

through a relatively simple chemical reactions, these researchers have suggested how it is possible that some molecules insignificant aspect become one of the basic ingredients of life.

as explained Ricardo Amils, professor in microbiology at the Autonomous University of Madrid, are compounds simple (as hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and formic acid derivatives) with which RNA can be synthesized. This “cousin” of DNA is able to do two important functions in living things: can store and encode genetic information (which is inherited and transferred) and can form energy currencies, molecules that are exchanged within living things and allow them to develop their chemical reactions.

One of the most interesting things about these precursor molecules is that they seem to be dispersed throughout the universe. They are present in interplanetary dust on the surface of asteroids, comets and rocky planets. In fact, in the case of this research, the precursors are found on the surface of comet 67 P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the “rock” investigated by the Philae probe of the European Space Agency.

the role of volcanoes and lightning Juli Peretó
researcher, specialist research the origin of life at the University of Valencia, explained how it is believed that the miracle happened: “the RNA could act as genetic material and catalyst (facilitating chemical reactions). It could have been encapsulated in membrane vesicles of amino acids and other short peptides. ” Thanks to this, and the presence of sugars and amino acids, these little capsules “learned” to connect the matter and energy from abroad for their own benefit, in what would be the most primitive version of metabolism.

That was how, 4,000 or 3,500 million years ago, these vesicles were organized and originated the first forms of life. Some believe that the precursor molecules of life came to Earth aboard asteroids, and there were transformed and allowed the emergence of the first living beings. But others, like Thomas Carell, posit the planet itself. Perhaps, lightning, volcanoes and seas surface could be the ideal breeding ground for the seeds of life. And so, from a possible spark RNA, it began an unstoppable process of survival, multiplication and adaptation to a hostile universe

. Source: ABC

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