Research Article: On Early Earth, Iron May Have Performed Magnesium?s RNA Folding Job

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On Early Earth, Iron May Have Performed Magnesium?s RNA Folding Job

Georgia Tech researchers used experiments and numerical calculations to show that iron, in the absence of oxygen, can substitute for magnesium in RNA binding, folding and catalysis. The findings suggest that 3 billion years ago, on the early earth, iron did the chemical work now done by magnesium.

Source: On Early Earth, Iron May Have Performed Magnesium?s RNA Folding Job