{"id":619394,"date":"2024-05-05T02:40:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-04T23:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/"},"modified":"2024-05-05T02:40:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-04T23:40:01","slug":"five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/","title":{"rendered":"#Five key breakthroughs from the past five years"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32e404cb873\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32e404cb873\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/#Reactions_in_early_cells\" >Reactions in early cells<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/#Volcanic_glass\" >Volcanic glass<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/#The_Krebs_Cycle\" >The Krebs Cycle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years\/#Building_blocks_of_ancient_cell_membranes\" >Building blocks of ancient cell membranes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/-life-on-earth.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/-life-on-earth.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/-life-on-earth.jpg\" alt=\" life on Earth\" title=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>There is still so much we don&#8217;t understand about the origin of life on Earth.<\/p>\n<section class=\"article-banner first-banner ads-336x280\"><!-- \/4988204\/Phys_Story_InText_Box --><br \/>\n      <\/section>\n<p>The definition of life itself is a source of debate among scientists, but most researchers agree on the fundamental ingredients of a living cell. Water, energy, and a few essential elements are the prerequisites for cells to emerge. However, the exact details of how this h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens remain a mystery.<\/p>\n<p>Recent research has focused on trying to recreate in the lab the chemical reactions that constitute life as we know it, in conditions plausible for early Earth (around 4 billion years ago). Experiments have grown in complexity, thanks to technological progress and a better understanding of what early Earth conditions were like.<\/p>\n<p>However, far from bringing scientists together and settling the debate, the rise of experimental work has led to many contradictory theories. Some scientists think that life emerged in deep-sea <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nrmicro1991\">hydrothermal vents<\/a>, where the conditions provided the necessary energy. Others argue that <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1089\/ast.2019.2045\">hot springs on land<\/a> would have provided a better setting because they are more likely to hold organic molecules from meteorites. These are just two possibilities which are being investigated.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five of the most remarkable discoveries over the last five years.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reactions_in_early_cells\"><\/span>Reactions in early cells<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What energy source drove the chemical reactions at the origin of life? This is the mystery that a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/microbiology\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2021.793664\/full\">research team in Germany<\/a> has sought to unravel. The team delved into the feasibility of 402 reactions known to create some of the essential components of life, such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/publications\/dictionaries\/genetics-dictionary\/def\/nucleotide\">nucleotides<\/a> (a building block of DNA and RNA). They did this using some of the most common elements that could have been found on the early Earth.<\/p>\n<p>These reactions, present in modern cells, are also believed to be the core metabolism of LUCA, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nmicrobiol2016116\">last universal common ancestor<\/a>, a single-cell, bacterium-like organism.<\/p>\n<p>For each reaction, they calculated the changes in free energy, which determines if a reaction can go forward without other external sources of energy. What is fascinating is that many of these reactions were independent of external influences <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK553175\/#:~:text=Adenosine%20triphosphate%20(ATP)%20is%20the,three%20serially%20bonded%20phosphate%20groups.\">like adenosine triphosphate<\/a>, a universal source of energy in living cells.<\/p>\n<p>The synthesis of life&#8217;s fundamental building blocks didn&#8217;t need an external energy boost: it was self-sustaining.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Volcanic_glass\"><\/span>Volcanic glass<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Life relies on molecules to store and convey information. Scientists think that RNA (ribonucleic acid) strands were <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/319618a0\">precursors to DNA<\/a> in fulfilling this role, since their structure is more simple.<\/p>\n<p>The emergence of RNA on our planet has long confused researchers. However, some progress has been made recently. In 2022, a team of collaborators in the US <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/10.1089\/ast.2022.0027\">generated stable RNA strands<\/a> in the lab. They did it by passing nucleotides through volcanic glass. The strands they made were long enough to store and transfer information.<\/p>\n<p>Volcanic glass was present on the early Earth, thanks to frequent meteorite impacts coupled with a high volcanic activity. The nucleotides used in the study are also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1089\/ast.2020.2264\">believed to have been present<\/a> at that time in Earth&#8217;s history. Volcanic rocks could have facilitated the chemical reactions that assembled nucleotides into RNA chains.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mb-4\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Unravelling life's origin: five key breakthroughs from the past five years\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch\/?v=Y4p6jhFaru4\"\/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Unravelling life's origin: five key breakthroughs from the past five years\"\/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2024-05-03T05:45:29-04:00\"\/><meta itemprop=\"embedUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y4p6jhFaru4\"\/><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Y4p6jhFaru4\/maxresdefault.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n             <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What is RNA | Genetics | Biology | FuseSchool\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y4p6jhFaru4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p> <b>Hydrothermal vents<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Carbon fixation is a process in which CO<sub>2<\/sub> gains electrons. It is necessary to build the molecules that form the basis of life.<\/p>\n<p>An electron donor is necessary to drive this reaction. On the early Earth, H<sub>2<\/sub> could have been the electron donor. In 2020, a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/full\/10.1073\/pnas.2002659117\">team of collaborators showed<\/a> that this reaction could spontaneously occur and be fueled by environmental conditions similar to deep-sea alkaline hydrothermal vents in the early ocean. They did this using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EjyM8sNplm4\">microfluidic technology<\/a>, devices that manipulate tiny volumes of liquids to perform experiments by simulating alkaline vents.<\/p>\n<p>This pathway is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(12)01438-9\">strikingly similar<\/a> to how many modern bacterial and archaeal cells (single-cell organisms without a nucleas) operate.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Krebs_Cycle\"><\/span>The Krebs Cycle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In modern cells, carbon fixation is followed by a cascade of chemical reactions that assemble or break down molecules, in intricate metabolic networks that are driven by enzymes.<\/p>\n<p>But scientists are still debating how metabolic reactions unfolded before the emergence and evolution of those enzymes. In 2019, a team from the University of Strasbourg in France made a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0921818122001874\">breakthrough<\/a>. They showed that ferrous iron, a type of iron that was abundant in early Earth&#8217;s crust and ocean, could drive nine out of 11 steps of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-019-1151-1\">the Krebs Cycle<\/a>. The Krebs Cycle is a biological pathway present in many living cells.<\/p>\n<p>Here, ferrous iron acted as the electron donor for carbon fixation, which drove the cascade of reactions. The reactions produced all five of the universal metabolic precursors\u2014five molecules that are fundamental across various metabolic pathways in all living organisms.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_blocks_of_ancient_cell_membranes\"><\/span>Building blocks of ancient cell membranes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Understanding the formation of life&#8217;s building blocks and their intricate reactions is a big step forward in comprehending the emergence of life.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            However, whether they unfolded in hot springs on land or in the deep sea, these reactions would not have gone far without a cell membrane. Cell membranes play an active role in the biochemistry of a primitive cell and its connection with the environment.<\/p>\n<p>Modern cell membranes are mostly composed of compounds called phospholipids, which contain a hydrophilic head and two hydrophobic tails. They are structured in bilayers, with the hydrophilic heads pointing outward and the hydrophobic tails pointing inward.<\/p>\n<p>Research has shown that some components of phospholipids, such as the fatty acids that constitute the tails, can self-assemble into those bilayer membranes in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41559-019-1015-y\">range of environmental conditions<\/a>. But were these fatty acids present on the early Earth? Recent research from Newcastle University, UK gives an interesting answer. Researchers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-023-01196-4\">recreated<\/a> the spontaneous formation of these molecules by combining H\u2082-rich fluids, likely present in ancient alkaline hydrothermal vents, with CO<sub>2<\/sub>-rich water resembling the early ocean.<\/p>\n<p>This breakthrough aligns with the hypothesis that stable fatty acid membranes could have originated in alkaline hydrothermal vents, potentially progressing into living cells. The authors speculated that similar chemical reactions might unfold in the subsurface oceans of icy moons, which are thought to have hydrothermal vents similar to terrestrial ones.<\/p>\n<p>Each of these discoveries adds a new piece to the puzzle of the origin of life. Regardless of which ones are proved correct, contrasting theories are fueling the search for answers.<\/p>\n<p>As Charles Darwin <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/j.ctt19zbz6c\">wrote<\/a>: &#8220;False facts are highly injurious to the progress of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> for they often long endure: but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>                                                    Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                            The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                                <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                            <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                                 This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/unravelling-lifes-origin-five-key-breakthroughs-from-the-past-five-years-225388\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/225388\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Unraveling life&#8217;s origin: Five key breakthroughs from the past five years (2024, May 4)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 5 May 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-05-unraveling-life-key-breakthroughs-years.html<\/p>\n<p>                                             This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                             part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-05-unraveling-life-key-breakthroughs-years.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain There is still so much we don&#8217;t understand about the origin of life on Earth. The definition of life itself is a source of debate among scientists, but most researchers agree on the fundamental ingredients of a living cell. Water, energy, and a few essential elements are the prerequisites for cells&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-619394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619394\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}