New study shows how complex metabolism may have self-assembled from simple precursors

Life as we know uses energy to reproduce itself. Organisms build and break down larger molecules using a common set of reactive intermediate energy carrier molecules. These carrier molecules help chaperone the reactions which build life's biochemical complexity and help push metabolic reactions to drive cellular reproduction. New research suggests that such compounds can be made easily in the environment in the absence of biology, providing a hint as to how life may have started.