Study Finds Ribose Keeps Borate Dissolved, Boosting Early Earth Chemistry 4 Billion Years Ago
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Sep 29
Study Finds Ribose Keeps Borate Dissolved, Boosting Early Earth Chemistry 4 Billion Years Ago
1 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Sep 29
Summary
ribose may have helped sustain prebiotic chemistry by dissolving borate minerals and preventing solid grains from forming, a new Scientific Reports study found.
Using natural minerals — including borate crusts from India’s Puga hot springs — researchers showed the sugar kept more boron in water, where borate can in turn protect ribose from breaking down.
That result addresses a key origin-of-life problem: boron-rich minerals often crystallize instead of dissolving, leaving natural waters with far less boron than many lab experiments assume.
The work also points to a broader feedback between organic molecules and geology on early Earth, about 4 billion years ago, when meteorites may have delivered ribose and other carbon compounds to shallow lakes and pools.