Scientists Find Evidence for Two Origins of Life on Earth
Researchers say 420 metabolic reactions and DNA analyses suggest bacteria and archaea emerged before free-living cells, with metals helping start life.
- On August 7, 2026, researchers reported in Science Advances that bacteria and archaea independently developed free-living cellular capabilities, suggesting life achieved cellular autonomy twice despite sharing a common ancestor known as LUCA.
- Scientists analyzed 420 metabolic reactions, finding that enzymes responsible for these processes are not conserved across the two groups, implying LUCA relied on metals in hydrothermal vents to catalyze half of its metabolism.
- Professor William Martin of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf noted, "The surprise is that the enzymes that catalyze those reactions are not conserved across the evolutionary divide that separates bacteria and archaea." Early life functioned as a hybrid of enzymatic and metal catalysts.
- Palladium and phosphite likely served as energy sources at the origin of metabolism; Martin concluded, "We are looking at one origin of the genetic code, but two origins of life," suggesting independent evolutionary pathways.
- Hydrothermal vents likely served as the cradles of life, and understanding these independent evolutionary transitions provides new frameworks for assessing whether similar biological autonomy could have emerged on other planets.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Life on Earth may have begun twice. A Science Advances study found that bacteria and archaea inherited one ancient genetic code but independently evolved the machinery needed to become free-living cells — leading the researchers to describe it as “one origin of the genetic code, but two origins of life.
Every known cell speaks a version of the same biochemical language. Bacteria and archaea use the same genetic code and deeply related machinery to turn genetic instructions into proteins. That inheritance is among the strongest evidence that all cellular life descends from a common ancestral population. But shared instructions do not necessarily mean that the first system carrying them was already a self-sufficient cell. A new study argues that …
Scientists find evidence for two origins of life on Earth
Scientists probing life’s deepest origins have uncovered evidence that the first free-living cells may have emerged not once, but twice. The findings suggest a striking possibility: life may share one ancient genetic code, yet have undergone two separate transitions into free-living existence.
A study in Science Advances suggests that bacteria and archaeae evolved independently. Read what scientists say about the origin of life on Earth.
Did Cellular Life Begin Twice? New Study Points to Two Independent Origins
Early metabolism may have begun as a mix of metal and enzyme catalysis before bacteria and archaea independently evolved into free-living cells. Four billion years ago, the chemistry that eventually became life may have been unfolding around hydrothermal vents, where naturally occurring metals helped drive reactions before cells possessed the full machinery they use today. [...]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
