The first living organisms on the planet, which emerged billions of years ago, may have survived after the molecules that formed life—building blocks of life, such as amino acids—were subjected to a shock wave (this method is known as shock processing), a team of scientists led by Surendra Singh at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in India reported.
“The processing of amino acids and nucleobases tends to form complex macroscopic structures in approximately 2 milliseconds. This discovery suggests that the building blocks of life may have polymerized not only on Earth but also on other planets through shock processing of life-forming molecules,” a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
Scientists at PRL utilized two research facilities—high-speed material shock tubes in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad—to conduct several experiments. They subjected a range of amino acids and nucleobases to high-intensity shock waves. These tubes can generate shock waves at speeds of up to Mach 5.6 (that is, 5.6 times the speed of sound), with temperatures around 8000K and lasting about 2 milliseconds.
After shock processing a mixture of 20 amino acids, the scientists observed the formation of twisted fibers, strands separating/combining, and tube-like structures.
“It is evident that there are similarities in the complex macroscopic structures we observe in the shocked samples with the structures found in cells. Similar structures have also been reported in some meteorites, although their exact origin and nature remain unclear,” the scientists concluded after analyzing the images.
The speed at which the basic components of living cells formed surprised the scientists, as the process of transitioning molecules from simple to complex, influenced by charged particles such as electrons, protons, and ions, takes a long time.
The study also provides additional experimental evidence for the ‘fibers’ observed in meteorites.
“These results suggest that impact shock processes may have contributed to the self-assembly of biologically relevant structures, and this could potentially be the origin of life,” the report stated.
