Study finds bacteria and archaea evolved metabolism independently

5 min read

Researchers analyzed protein structures of core metabolic enzymes across bacterial and archaeal genomes and used an algorithm to order enzyme complexity. They conclude the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) had enzymes for roughly half of core metabolic reactions, with environmental metals catalyzing the rest, and that bacteria and archaea later independently evolved structurally distinct enzymes to replace those metal catalysts. The team outlines four phases from metal-driven chemistry to fully enzyme-driven, free-living cells, and reports that phosphite plus palladium can mimic phosphorylation without ATP, offering experimental support for prebiotic chemistry.

Bacteria and archaea may have evolved independent metabolic systems.