NASA-supported scientists have reexamined some previous assumptions about how the ribosome in living cells is constructed. The ribosome is a large molecule found in all living cells that catalyzes the synthesis of proteins. Ribosomes today are different across the numerous organisms in the biosphere, yet they all share common core structures. Because of this, it is likely that all ribosomes evolved from an original molecule that was present in life’s last common ancestor on Earth (LUCA), and that the earliest origins of the ribosome predate LUCA.

The study focuses on the interactions between pieces of RNA and how these RNA molecules could have combined to form a particular region within the ancient core structure of the ribosome.

The paper, “How to build a protoribosome: structural insights from the first protoribosome constructs that have proven to be catalytically active,” was published in the journal RNA.

Related:
The Ribosome: A Record of Evolution
Details of Ribosome Structure, Function and History