The element phosphorous is a critical component of biomolecules like nucleic acids, and is vital for many bimolecular functions in living cells. However, phosphorous has some geochemical properties that make the formation of these important biomolecules difficult. A new study examines how some of these difficulties could have been overcome in nature, and places them in the context of the early Earth when life first arose on our planet.

The study, “Phosphorylation on the early Earth,” was published in the journal Chemical Geology. The work was performed at the NSF/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The CCE is a collaborative program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the NASA Astrobiology Program.