Deep Ancestry: How Scientists Are Now Studying Life That Existed Before Our First Common Ancestor
For a long time, the history of life on Earth had a “starting point” that scientists couldn’t cross. This point was LUCA (the Last Universal Common Ancestor), an organism that lived 4 billion years ago. Everything we know about biology started there—or so we thought. Now, a new study has pioneered a way to look even further back into the “dark age” of biology to see how life actually began.
The Secret is in the “Double” Genes
Instead of searching for physical fossils, researchers focused on Universal Paralogs. These are specific genes that were duplicated (copied) inside the genomes of almost every living thing on Earth today.
Because these duplicates are found in everything from humans to ancient bacteria, scientists know the duplication happened before our first common ancestor was even born. These genes act like a “digital fossil record,” preserving instructions from a time that was previously impossible to study.
What Did Life Look Like Before the Beginning?
By using AI and advanced computing to “rewind” these genes, the research team discovered that the most basic functions of life were already incredibly advanced:
Building Blocks: Early life was already specialized in creating proteins, the essential machinery of the body.
Cell Security: Even before our first ancestor, life had developed complex ways to transport materials across cell membranes.
Protein Resurrection: Scientists actually used AI to reconstruct these ancient proteins. When tested, these “pre-historic” proteins still worked perfectly, showing that the blueprints for life were established much earlier than we ever imagined.
The New Frontier of Biology
This discovery means we are no longer limited to studying life as it is today. We can now test and observe the very first steps evolution took. By decoding these “universal” copies, we are finally answering the ultimate question: What happened in the moments before life as we know it took shape?
Source: SciTechDaily
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Deep Ancestry: How Scientists Are Now Studying Life That Existed Before Our First Common Ancestor