Study Proposes Dual Origin of Life on Earth

A new study published in *Science Advances* argues that life on Earth originated from non‑living matter on two separate occasions. The research suggests that bacteria and archaea each emerged independently after a primitive ancestor, the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), which the authors describe as not fully alive and dependent on metal‑catalyzed metabolism.

Senior author William Martin, an evolutionary biologist at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, explains that the two lineages developed their own internal enzymes to become free‑living cells. The authors base their claim on metabolic analyses of genomes across bacterial and archaeal groups, focusing on the chemical reactions needed to synthesize basic cellular components.

If confirmed, the findings could reshape understanding of abiogenesis and influence astrobiology by highlighting multiple pathways for life to arise. The study has attracted both interest and skepticism, with scientists calling for additional evidence to validate the dual‑origin hypothesis.