Photo Credit: NASA
A recent NASA-funded study has observed findings about the molecular processes that might have shaped the origins of life on Earth. Research published in Nature Communications suggests that ribonucleic acid (RNA), a molecule believed to have predated DNA, exhibits no inherent bias in producing the left- or right-handed versions of amino acids. This challenges long-standing assumptions about why life predominantly uses left-handed amino acids in its proteins, a phenomenon known as homochirality.
The research involved simulating primitive Earth conditions, where ribozymes were exposed to amino acid precursors. In 15 tested combinations, no consistent bias towards left-handed amino acids was observed. This discovery suggests that homochirality may have emerged through evolutionary processes rather than as a result of RNA's chemical preferences. Co-author Alberto Vázquez-Salazar, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar, noted that these findings imply that life's molecular handedness likely arose later in its development.
Jason Dworkin, Senior Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, emphasised that understanding life's molecular properties informs the search for extraterrestrial life. Current analysis of samples from asteroid Bennu, brought back by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, includes studying amino acid handedness. Such investigations may uncover further clues about the origin of homochirality and its role in life's development.
The research was funded by NASA, the Simons Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, contributing valuable insights into one of life's most profound mysteries.
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