The Origin of Life: Metabolic Fossils

You can Support Jon's work on https://www.patreon.com/statedclearly

See full video here: https://youtu.be/K1xnYFCZ9Yg?si=fIFn4f9YK4gp2lOx

In origin of life research, "metabolic fossils" refers to the idea that some of the chemical reactions and processes found in modern organisms might have originated very early in life's history. These processes have been preserved through billions of years because they were effective and essential for life. They are like "fossils" because they give us clues about what life was like on the early Earth.

Researchers study these processes to understand how life could have started from non-living materials. For example, simple chemical reactions that occur in cells today might be similar to reactions that occurred spontaneously on the early Earth, using basic chemicals available in the environment back then. By examining these, scientists hope to piece together the puzzle of how increasingly complex life forms developed from basic chemistry.

Видео The Origin of Life: Metabolic Fossils канала Stated Clearly