{"id":549192,"date":"2023-02-09T15:52:18","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T20:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=549192"},"modified":"2023-02-12T19:54:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T00:54:58","slug":"new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/","title":{"rendered":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin"},"content":{"rendered":"

The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.<\/h2>\n

The first signs of life emerged on Earth in the form of microbes about four billion years ago. While scientists are still determining exactly when and how these microbes appeared, it\u2019s clear that the emergence of life is intricately intertwined with the chemical and physical characteristics of early Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is reasonable to suspect that life could have started differently\u2014or not at all\u2014if the early chemical characteristics of our planet were different,\u201d says Dustin Trail<\/a>, an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what was Earth like billions of years ago, and what characteristics may have helped life to form? In a paper published in Science<\/em><\/a>, Trail and Thomas McCollom<\/a>, a research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder, reveal key information in the quest to find out. The research has important implications not only for discovering the origins of life but also in the search for life on other planets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now at an exciting time in which humankind is searching for life on other planets and moons, as well as in other planetary systems,\u201d Trail says. \u201cBut we still do not know how\u2014or even when, really\u2014life started on our own planet. Research like ours helps identify specific conditions and chemical pathways that could have supported the emergence of life, work which is certain to factor prominently into the search for life outside of our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The importance of metals in the emergence of life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Research into life and its origins typically involves a variety of disciplines including genomics, the study of genes and their functions; proteomics, the study of proteins; and an emerging field called metallomics, which explores the important role of metals in performing cellular functions. As life evolved, the need for certain metals changed, but Trail and McCollom wanted to determine what metals may have been available when microbes first appeared billions of years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen hypotheses are proposed for different origin-of-life scenarios, scientists have generally assumed all metals were available because there weren\u2019t studies that provided geologically robust constraints on metal concentrations of fluids for the earliest times of Earth\u2019s history,\u201d Trail says.<\/p>\n

To address this shortcoming, Trail and McCollom studied the composition and characteristics of fluids in the lithosphere\u2014the outer layer of Earth that includes the crust and upper mantle\u2014billions of years ago. These lithospheric fluids are key pathways to transport dissolved parts of rocks and minerals between Earth\u2019s interior and hydrothermal pools in its exterior where microbial life could have formed. While researchers cannot directly measure the metals that existed billions of years ago, by determining the properties of the fluids, they can infer what metals\u2014and the concentrations of the metals\u2014could feasibly have been transported between Earth\u2019s interior and exterior during the time when life emerged on the planet.<\/p>\n

Clues in billion-year-old minerals<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Billion-year-old rocks and minerals are often the only direct sources of information about Earth\u2019s earliest history. That\u2019s because the rocks and minerals lock in information about the composition of Earth at the time they are formed.<\/p>\n

The researchers conducted high-pressure, high-temperature experiments and applied these results to early-Earth zircons, a robust type of mineral collected at sites in Western Australia, to determine the oxygen pressure, chlorine content, and temperature of lithospheric fluids billions of years ago. They then input this information into computer models. The models allowed them to simulate the properties of the lithospheric fluids, and, in turn, simulate which metals could have travelled through the fluids to reach hydrothermal pools at Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

Understanding how life originated<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The researchers were surprised by what the model simulations indicated. Many origin-of-life researchers, for instance, consider copper a likely component in the chemistry that could have led to life. But Trail and McCollom did not find evidence that copper would have been abundant under the constraints in their analysis.<\/p>\n

One metal they did test that may have been available in high concentrations was manganese. While it is rarely considered in origin-of-life scenarios, today manganese helps the body form bones and assists enzymes in breaking down carbohydrates and cholesterol.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur research shows that metals like manganese may function as important links between the \u2018solid\u2019 Earth and emerging biological systems at Earth\u2019s surface,\u201d Trail says.<\/p>\n

Trail says the research will help scientists studying the origin of life to input more concrete data into their experiments and models.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperiments designed with this information in mind will result in a better understanding of how life originated.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"anHow did Earth avoid a Mars-like fate? Ancient rocks hold clues<\/strong><\/a>
\nNew paleomagnetic research suggests Earth\u2019s solid inner core formed 550 million years ago and restored our planet\u2019s magnetic field.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"ThreeLunar samples solve mystery of moon\u2019s supposed magnetic shield<\/strong><\/a>
\nRochester geophysicists\u2019 latest findings contradict longstanding assumptions about whether Earth\u2019s moon ever had a magnetic shield<\/span><\/div>\n
\"Photo-illustrationCan a planet have a mind of its own?<\/strong><\/a>
\nAdam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy, asks, if a planet with life has a life of its own, can it also have a mind of its own?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dustin Trail used experiments and zircon chemistry to build more accurate computer models of fluids that act as pathways from inner Earth to Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":549252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[18852,4626,18572,16072],"class_list":["post-549192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-department-of-earth-and-environmental-sciences","tag-featured-post","tag-research-finding","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew models shed light on life\u2019s origin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"headline\":\"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":888,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences\",\"featured-post\",\"research finding\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science & Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/\",\"name\":\"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"description\":\"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Rochester researcher Dustin Trail used experiments and zircon chemistry to build more accurate computer models of fluids that act as pathways from inner Earth to Earth\u2019s surface. The models allow researchers to simulate what metals\u2014such as manganese (pictured)\u2014may have been transported to Earth\u2019s surface when life first emerged, about four billion years ago. \u201cOur research shows that metals like manganese may function as important links between the \u2018solid\u2019 Earth and emerging biological systems at Earth\u2019s surface,\u201d Trail says. (Getty Images photo)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\",\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/lvalich\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin","description":"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin","og_description":"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg","width":1000,"height":600,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lindsey Valich","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lindsey Valich","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/"},"author":{"name":"Lindsey Valich","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"headline":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin","datePublished":"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/"},"wordCount":888,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg","keywords":["Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences","featured-post","research finding","School of Arts and Sciences"],"articleSection":["Science & Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/","name":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-09T20:52:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-13T00:54:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"description":"The research reveals clues about the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth when life is thought to have emerged.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/fea-origin-of-life-manganese.jpg","width":1000,"height":600,"caption":"Rochester researcher Dustin Trail used experiments and zircon chemistry to build more accurate computer models of fluids that act as pathways from inner Earth to Earth\u2019s surface. The models allow researchers to simulate what metals\u2014such as manganese (pictured)\u2014may have been transported to Earth\u2019s surface when life first emerged, about four billion years ago. \u201cOur research shows that metals like manganese may function as important links between the \u2018solid\u2019 Earth and emerging biological systems at Earth\u2019s surface,\u201d Trail says. (Getty Images photo)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/new-models-shed-light-on-origin-of-life-549192\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New models shed light on life\u2019s origin"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827","name":"Lindsey Valich","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/lvalich\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549192"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":549592,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549192\/revisions\/549592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}