Background/Objectives: tRNAs, tRNAomes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs), the first proteins, ribosomes and the genetic code coevolved. We utilize sequence data to reconstruct key steps in establishing the first code on Earth.
aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
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LIFE NASA RCN Seminar Series: Dating LUCA Using Ancient Protein Family Phylogenies
Dr. Greg Fournier is an Associate Professor of Geobiology at MIT. He studies the deep evolutionary history of life, applying molecular clocks and phylogenetics to uncover how Earth’s earliest organisms […]
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Simultaneous Synthesis Of All 21 Types Of tRNA In Vitro
Collaborative research by the University of Tokyo and RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research has led to the development of a new method for simultaneously synthesizing all transfer RNA (tRNA) […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Structural Enzymology, Phylogenetics, Differentiation, and Symbolic Reflexivity at the Dawn of Biology
Translation of symbols in one chemical language into another defined genetics. Yet, the co-linearity of codons and amino acids is so commonplace an idea that few even ask how it […]
![Phylogenies inferred under the gradual+abrupt clock model. The three-point estimates summarize their respective tree posterior distributions using the conditional clade distribution 0 method [57]. Median estimates of branch spike sums are shown. -- Proceedings of the Royal Society B](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Evolution-Is-Coupled-With-Branching.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Evolution Is Coupled With Branching Across Many Granularities Of Life
Across many scales of life, the rate of evolutionary change is often accelerated at the time when one lineage splits into two.
![Coupled evolutionary advances favoring emergence and fostering the specialization of genetic coding. (a). Interdependences involved in embedding specific recognition into the sequence space of folded proteins [26]. (b). Experimentally measurable metrics corresponding to (a). Although experimental models exist for each process, confirming details requires further work. -- LIFE](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Base-Pairing.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Base Pairing Promoted the Self-Organization of Genetic Coding, Catalysis, and Free-Energy Transduction
How Nature discovered genetic coding is a largely ignored question, yet the answer is key to explaining the transition from biochemical building blocks to life. Other, related puzzles also fall […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Triplet-Encoded Prebiotic RNA Aminoacylation
The encoding step of translation involves attachment of amino acids to cognate tRNAs by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, themselves the product of coded peptide synthesis. So, the question arises─before these enzymes evolved, […]