biochemical

Beetles conquered the Earth by developing their own biochemical laboratory

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As organisms on planet Earth diversified, some branches of the tree of life became exceptionally diverse, others much less so. Still others became extinct. Why evolution favored certain groups over others is a long-standing question in evolutionary science. Beetles are the poster child for evolutionary success: around 400,000 known species – about a quarter of … Read more

Deciphering the origins of life with lost biochemical clues

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SciTechDaily

Metabolism is the “beating heart of the cell”. New research from ELSI traces the history of metabolism from primordial Earth to modern times (from left to right). The history of compound discovery over time (white line) is cyclical and almost resembles an ECG. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy/NASA/ESA A new study shows that … Read more