Early Earth made and build essential biomolecules

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H02144
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Petrology/Mineralogy/Economic geology
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Takeshi Kakegawa 東北大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (60250669)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 古川 善博 東北大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (00544107) ; 小林 敬道 国立研究開発法人物質・材料研究機構, その他部局等, その他研究員 (20260028) ; 関根 利守 広島大学, 理学研究科, 特任教授 (70343829)
• Research Collaborator: TANIGUCHI TAKSHI 国立研究開発法人物質・材料研究機構, 機能性材料研究拠点, グループリーダー (80354413)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 生命起源 / アミノ酸 / 核酸塩基 / 初期地球 / 隕石衝突 / ペプチド / リボース

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We performed following series of experiments to approach essential problems for origin of life: (1) Simulation experiment for meteorite impact on the early oceans, (2) experiments for ribose and nucleotide formations assuming early oceanic and evaporitic environments, and (3) biotic-like peptide formation assuming inside of Hadean marine sediments. We were successful to form various amino acids and pyrimidine nucleobases by experiment (1). Ribose was selectively stabilized and nucleotide was formed using Luneburgite by experiment (2). We were also able to form aspartic acid peptides and methionine peptides under high P and T conditions, which were the same range of deep marine sediments. In particular, prebiotic sulfur cycle, which is identical biotic sulfur cycle, was realized during the methionine peptide formation. All results suggest how dynamics of the early Earth were important to promote chemical evolution for origin of life.

Free Research Field

生命起源地球科学