[Rockhounds] Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself

[Paul]

How did life begin? One key ingredient is coming into view
A Nobel-prizewinning scientist’s team has taken a big step
forward in its quest to reconstruct an early-Earth RNA capable
of building proteins. Amber Dance, Nature News, February 28, 2023
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00574-4

Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself
By Michael Irving, News Atlas, February 28, 2023
https://newatlas.com/biology/ancient-proteins-natural-selection-predates-life/

Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself
John Hopkins University, February 28, 2023
https://hub.jhu.edu/2023/02/27/protein-origin-life/

The paper is:

Makarov, M., Sanchez Rocha, A.C., Krystufek, R., Cherepashuk,
I., Dzmitruk, V., Charnavets, T., Faustino, A.M., Lebl, M.,
Fujishima, K., Fried, S.D. and Hlouchova, K., 2022. Early selection
of the amino acid alphabet was adaptively shaped by biophysical
constraints of foldability. Jounral of the American Chemical Society.
Abstract at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.2c12987
Preprint at 
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2022/12/07/2022.06.14.495995.full.pdf

Yours,

Paul H.