Earth's first life may have fuelled itself with a metal metabolism

The first living organisms may have relied on nickel and sulphur to obtain energy and sustain themselves. That is the conclusion of a study that shows how nickel sulphide can transform simple chemicals into many of the substances that underpin life. It is one of several recent studies indicating that life-like processes can be kick-started by metals.

“We are able to build up important biomolecules from simple precursors,” says Claudia Huber at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

Huber and her colleagues have spent over 20…