美国佛罗里达大学的研究人员最近宣布,他们发现矿物质在地球形成生命的最初阶段起关键作用。特别是一种叫硬硼钙石的含有硼砂的矿物质,有助于把星际尘埃云中发现的有机分子变成核糖,而核糖是组成核糖核酸的核心物质。这一发现朝着解决“地球上的生命是如何形成的”这个30亿年来的秘密迈出了关键的一步。 Researchers at the University of Florida recently announced that they have discovered that minerals play a key role in the initial stages of Earth’s life formation. In particular, a borax-containing mineral called hard boehmite helps to convert organic molecules found in the interstellar dust cloud into ribose, which is the core material that makes up ribonucleic acid. This discovery has taken a crucial step toward solving the secret of 3 billion years of “how life is formed on the earth.”