Primitive purine biosynthesis connects ancient geochemistry to modern metabolism

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02361-4

#evolution #OriginOfLife #geochemistry

Primitive purine biosynthesis connects ancient geochemistry to modern metabolism - Nature Ecology & Evolution

Constructing a biosphere-scale model of the evolutionary history of metabolism based on >12,000 biochemical reactions, the authors show that a bottleneck in purine synthesis prevents metabolic expansion from geochemical precursors.

^Nature

Happy birthday to #geochemist Charles David Keeling (1928 - 2005) whose decades long observations of CO2 in air samples from Mauna Loa Observatory were some of the 1st direct data to show the human contribution to greenhouse effect & global warming. The 'Keeling Curve' (in copper & red) shows both the seasonal variations (the wiggles) & the strong upward trend with time as the greenhouse gas built up in the atmosphere. 🧵1/

#linocut #printmaking #climateChange #geochemistry #sciart #MastoArt