Did meteorites bring life’s phosphorus to Earth? - Astrobiology Magazine
http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/meteorites-bring-lifes-phosphorus-earth/
Meteorites that crashed onto Earth billions of years ago may have provided the phosphorous essential to the biological systems of terrestrial life.
The meteorites are believed to have contained a phosphorus-bearing mineral called schreibersite, and scientists have recently developed a synthetic
version that reacts chemically with organic molecules, showing its potential as a nutrient for life.
Phosphorus is one of life’s most vital components, but often goes unheralded. It helps form the backbone of the long chains of nucleotides that
create RNA and DNA; it is part of the phospholipids in cell membranes; and is a building block of the coenzyme used as an energy carrier in cells,
adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Yet the majority of phosphorus on Earth is found in the form of inert phosphates that are insoluble in water and are generally unable to react
with organic molecules. This appears at odds with phosphorus’ ubiquity in biochemistry, so how did phosphorus end up being critical to life?
