Boron can stabilize ribose, one of three key components of RNA. Ribose, an organic sugar molecule, has a short half-life and naturally decomposes without a stabilizer. Many researchers think life on Earth descended from RNA, which self-assembled from building blocks such as ribose. Until now, theories for the origin of RNA life pointed to RNA-based chemicals arriving on Earth from Mars. Thats because Earths first rocks and oceans seemed devoid of boron, which takes the form of borate minerals on Earth. On Mars, clays with boron and another RNA stabilizer, molybdenum, are abundant. I want to challenge this idea that the early ocean was borate free, Kakegawa said. The early ocean already contained borate, and therefore, early Earth — not Mars — could provide environments to stabilize ribose.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 22:43:26 +0000
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