[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Dual-origin hypothesis for early life

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-13 08:02 UTC → 2026-08-23 07:52 UTC · added removed

Researchers at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have published a study in Science Advances proposing that the two primary domains of life—bacteria and archaea—emerged independently from a non‑living Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). By analysing genomes, analyzing the genomes and protein structures of 552 bacterial and core metabolic reactions, 401 archaeal isolates, the authors identified a set of enzymes present in LUCA research team, led by Natalia Mrnjavac and later additions unique to each lineage. In a detailed analysis of approximately 420 core metabolic reactions, William Martin, reconstructed the metabolic history of LUCA. The study suggests that while LUCA possessed a genetic code and the ability to produce proteins, its metabolism was not yet fully developed. Instead, LUCA relied on environmental metals for about found in hydrothermal vents—such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and palladium—to catalyze approximately half of its energy-producing functions rather than fully formed enzymes. This indicates functions. The findings indicate that bacteria and archaea may have developed independent enzymatic solutions for identical metabolic tasks, following shared a common genetic code but followed separate evolutionary paths from primordial to become free-living cells. Specifically, the researchers identified 166 core enzymes present in LUCA, with subsequent additions unique to each lineage: 89 in bacteria and 38 in archaea. Mrnjavac noted that this process would result in “two very different kinds of cells emerging, pioneer bacteria and pioneer archaea, making their first attempts at life outside the confines of a hydrothermal vent environments roughly 4 billion years ago. The dual‑origin claim vent.” This dual-origin hypothesis challenges the long-held assumption of a single common ancestor, providing new insights into abiogenesis and how suggesting that life might emerge on other planets. may have transitioned from metal-catalyzed metabolism to enzymatic metabolism in two distinct stages. The research has drawn both interest and calls for additional evidence to validate these findings.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-23 07:52 UTC Dual-origin hypothesis for early life
  2. 2026-08-13 08:02 UTC Dual-origin hypothesis for early life
  3. 2026-08-08 00:35 UTC Dual-origin hypothesis for early life

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.