24 Channels explains why the new research is really important and what it means for understanding the origin of life on Earth and finding it on other planets.

According to Dustin Trail, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester, “there are reasons to suspect that if our planet’s initial chemical properties were altered, life might have begun differently—or not at all.”

early history of the world

The study examines the role of metals in the origin of life, including the unexpected importance of manganese. Billion-year-old rocks and minerals are often the only direct sources of information about Earth’s early history, and researchers billions of years ago conducted high-pressure and high-temperature experiments to determine the oxygen pressure, chlorine content, and temperature of lithosphere fluids. .

By inputting this information into computer models, the researchers were able to simulate the properties of lithospheric fluids and determine which metals may have been transported between Earth’s interior and exterior when life began on the planet.

Why is this an important discovery?

Research is important not only for understanding the origin of life, but also for the search for life on other planets. As Trail states:

We are now living in an exciting time when humanity is seeking life on other planets and moons, as well as in other planetary systems.

The work sheds light on the role of metals in cellular functions and will help origin-of-life scientists input more specific data into their experiments and models. This information can be used to identify similar conditions on other planets that may have also supported the origin of life.