Life Traced Back to a Single Ancestor

The origins of life on Earth have long fascinated scientists, particularly the nature of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). LUCA, the root of the evolutionary tree from which Bacteria and Archaea diverged, represents a key node in life’s history. 

This ancient organism’s characteristics, age, and ecological role offer critical insights into the early evolution of life on Earth.


LUCA is estimated to have existed approximately 4.2 billion years ago. Researchers from the University of Bristol and international collaborators employed innovative methods to trace its timeline. 

They used divergence time analysis of pre-LUCA gene duplicates, combined with microbial fossils and isotope records, to establish LUCA’s position in evolutionary history.


These findings challenge prior assumptions that life could not survive the Late Heavy Bombardment, a period of intense asteroid impacts occurring between 3.7 and 3.9 billion years ago.      READ MORE...

Wrong About the Origins of Life

In a new peer reviewed analysis, scientists quantify amino acids before and after our “last universal common ancestor.”

The last universal common ancestor is the single life form that branched into everything since.

Earth four billion years ago may help us check for life on one of Saturn’s moons today.

Scientists are making a case for adjusting our understanding of how exactly genes first emerged. For a while, there’s been a consensus about the order in which the building block amino acids were “added” into the box of Lego pieces that build our genes. 

But according to genetic researchers at the University of Arizona, our previous assumptions may reflect biases in our understanding of biotic (living) versus abiotic (non-living) sources.

In other words, our current working model of gene history could be undervaluing early protolife (which included forerunners like RNA and peptides) as compared to what emerged with and after the beginning of life. 

Our understanding of these extremely ancient times will always be incomplete, but it’s important for us to keep researching early Earth. The scientists explain that any improvements in that understanding could not only allow us know more of our own story, but also help us search for the beginnings of life elsewhere in the universe.     READ MORE...

Rewriting The Origins of Life

A recent study by Scripps Research proposes a credible pathway for the early formation and evolution of protocells, suggesting that phosphorylation might have been crucial in developing complex, functional precursors to life on Earth about 4 billion years ago. This discovery enhances our understanding of the origins of life and the early Earth’s chemical environment. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Recent discovery of a new phospholipid narrows the gap in understanding how primordial cells emerged during origin of life.

Approximately 4 billion years ago, Earth was in the process of creating conditions suitable for life. Origin-of-life scientists often wonder if the type of chemistry found on the early Earth was similar to what life requires today. They know that spherical collections of fats, called protocells, were the precursor to cells during this emergence of life. But how did simple protocells first arise and diversify to eventually lead to life on Earth?  READ MORE...