Rutgers researchers have discovered the origins of the protein structures that powered early life on Earth. A team of scientists from Rutgers University called ENIGMA (Evolution of Nanomachines in Geospheres and Microbial Ancestors) is carrying the analysis with a NASA grant and via membership in the NASA Astrobiology Program. The ENIGMA project aims to unveil the role of the most simplistic proteins that catalyzed the most initial stages of life. The Rutgers team concentrated on two protein “folds” that are possibly the first structures in early metabolism. There is proof the two folds may have shared a common ancestor and, if correct, the ancestor may have been the first metabolic enzyme of life.
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