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Question
What is redox. And why is it so important in the evolution of life?
“Redox,” or reduction-oxidation, is a type of chemical reaction. In a redox reaction, a reducing substance loses electrons to an oxidizing substance, while the oxidizing substance gains the electrons from the reducing substance. Where there is reduction (gain of electrons) there is always oxidation (loss of electrons). This dance of electrons between molecules powered some of the earliest microbial biochemical processes on Earth. In fact, many redox reactions like methanogenesis and anoxygenic photosynthesis may have been responsible for shaping the early Earth environment, one replete with a diverse set of organic and inorganic substances. Some of these redox byproducts (like CO, H2S, (CH3)2S, NH3, and N2O) in turn powered new biochemistry and thus evolution of new life. Since microbial redox ultimately altered the chemical face of the planet, its study is critical to our understanding of the origin and early evolution of life on Earth. Anna Lee Strachan, NASA Astrobiology Institute
July 11, 2002
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