Researchers report that microdroplets formed by the polymerization of drying α-hydroxy acids, present at the time of the origin of life on Earth, can act as compartments for chemical reactions and compounds, including genetic material; the results suggest that such microdroplets without enclosing membranes may have provided the combinatorial chemical heterogeneity necessary for living systems to develop, according to the authors.
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Article #19-02336: "Membraneless polyester microdroplets as primordial compartments at the origins of life," by Tony Z. Jia et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Z. Jia, Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo, JAPAN; e-mail: tzjia@elsi.jp
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences