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The Ribofilm as a Concept for Life's Origins
John A Baross1, William F Martin2
1School of Oceanography and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Cell
|July 4, 2015
Summary
The earliest archaea produced methane, supporting the hydrothermal vent hypothesis for life's origin. This suggests RNA acted as a foundational platform, not a self-replicator, in early life.
Area of Science:
- Astrobiology
- Biochemistry
- Geology
Background:
- Phylogenetic data suggests early archaea were methanogens.
- Hydrothermal vents are a leading hypothesis for abiogenesis.
- RNA's role in the origin of life is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate phylogenetic data with hydrothermal vent theories.
- To propose a new model for RNA's role in early life.
- To support the hypothesis of thermodynamically directed abiogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of archaea.
- Thermodynamic modeling of early Earth conditions.
- Biochemical pathway reconstruction.
Main Results:
- Recent phylogenetic data indicates the first archaea were methane-producers.
- This finding galvanizes cross-disciplinary evidence for life originating at hydrothermal vents.
- The concept of a 'ribofilm' is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Life likely arose via thermodynamically directed events at hydrothermal vents.
- RNA's origin-of-life role may be better described as a slowly changing platform.
- This challenges the notion of RNA as a purely spontaneous self-replicator.
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