anaerobic biochemistry Archives

The diverging paths of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) from minerals to proteins. Fe-based metabolisms flourish both before and after Earth’s oxygenation. Ni-based metabolisms are almost exclusively anaerobic, reflecting their origin in the reducing Archean. Fe is used by biology as a generalist, due to its flexibility, which can be seen both in its diverse mineral chemistry and in metal-binding centers of proteins. Ni is less flexible mineralogically, chemically in proteins, and more evolutionarily constrained, as reflected by its metabolic exclusion from oxidized environments. -- LIFE

Diverging Mineral Chemistry of Iron and Nickel Throughout Earth’s Changing Redox Conditions Reveals Foundation for Their Evolution as Protein Cofactors

by Keith CowingJuly 14, 2026July 14, 2026

[LIFE] Iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) were both foundational to early metabolism, yet their biological trajectories diverged as Earth’s surface redox state changed. Here, we integrate mineral chemistry network analysis, […]

Molecular reactions involved in ethane degradation. The metabolism of the microbe converts ethane into CO and formyl-MFR, used as substrates by the enzymes of this study (presented as surface colored by subunit) to generate CO2. The generated electrons navigate in the enzymes (cyan dashed arrows) to reduce F420 – the molecule responsible for the shiny blue color of the organism under UV light. The background image shows the F420-dependent fluorescence of the ethane-degrading microbes under the microscope. Credit Olivier Lemaire/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Metabolic Secret Of Ethane-consuming Archaea Unraveled

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2024October 25, 2024

Seeps on the deep seafloor naturally emit alkanes, which are pollutants that are potentially dangerous to life and act on global warming. Fortunately, the sediments around the seeps host microbes […]

anaerobic biochemistry

Diverging Mineral Chemistry of Iron and Nickel Throughout Earth’s Changing Redox Conditions Reveals Foundation for Their Evolution as Protein Cofactors

A Metabolic Secret Of Ethane-consuming Archaea Unraveled

Roman Space Telescope: Enabling Images Of Distant Worlds

NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) Cooperative Agreement Notice (NNH26ZDA016C) Final Text And Due Dates

Interstellar Aromatic Infrared Bands: IR Absorption Spectroscopy Of The Lowest Triplet State Of Naphthalene

The Highly Unusual Behavior And Chemical Composition Of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov

Volatile Depletion In Rocky Planets As A Chemical Fingerprint Of Hybrid Accretion