Mineral Element Insiders and Outliers Play Crucial Roles in Biological Evolution
Eli K Moore1, Daniella L Martinez1, Naman Srivastava2
1Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth and the Environment, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2022
Summary
Mineral composition reveals Earth
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Biogeochemistry
- Mineralogy
Background:
- Primitive Earth's geosphere provided life's building blocks.
- Geochemical interactions inform the origins of biological element roles.
- Minerals record elemental contributions to crustal composition and biological utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate correlations between mineral species and elemental crustal composition.
- Analyze relationships between elemental mineralogy and biological significance.
- Identify how geochemical processes influenced the evolution of biological element functions.
Main Methods:
- Statistical analysis of elemental mineral occurrences and crustal abundance.
- Correlation analysis between #-mineral-elements, mineral species count, and mineral locality count.
- Examination of elemental outliers in crustal percentage vs. #-mineral-elements plots.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations found between #-mineral-elements and mineral species/locality counts.
- Lesser correlation observed between crustal percentage and #-mineral-elements.
- Outliers in elemental distribution highlight biological roles (S, Cu) or toxicity (Pb, As).
Conclusions:
- Elemental mineralogy and crustal abundance are linked to biological functions.
- Sulfur (S) acts as a key bridge between organic and inorganic biological components.
- Both common and rare elements in mineral formations exhibit crucial biological roles.
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