Scientists reveal how first cells could have formed on Earth

Roughly 4 billion years ago, Earth was developing conditions suitable for life. Origin-of-life scientists often wonder if the type of chemistry found on the early Earth was similar to what life requires today. They know that ...

Shallow soda lakes show promise as cradles of life on Earth

Charles Darwin proposed that life could have emerged in a "warm little pond" with the right cocktail of chemicals and energy. A study from the University of Washington, published this month in Communications Earth & Environment, ...

Scientists reveal how phosphate escapes from actin filaments

Actin filaments are dynamic protein-fibers in the cell built from single actin proteins. Many cellular functions, including cell movement, are regulated by constant filament assembly and disassembly. The disassembly phase ...

Key building block for life found at Saturn's moon Enceladus

The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system just got more exciting. A team of scientists including Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Christopher Glein has discovered new evidence that the subsurface ocean of ...

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Phosphate

A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in agriculture and industry. At elevated temperatures in the solid state, phosphates can condense to form pyrophosphates.

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