Bioessays April 2010 PMID 20108228

How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life.

Nick Lane, John F Allen, William Martin

Mentions

14
Peak: 1 in Aug 2016
across 5 sources since Aug 2016

Extended reach

2,504
potential audience

Total likes

96

Video views

1,356

Mentions per month

Aug 2016 – Apr 2024

Where it's discussed

  • X / Twitter4 posts
  • News4 articles
  • Blogs3 articles
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Facebook1 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions reflect curiosity and engagement with the concept of chemiosmosis in early life, with examples like posts referencing the abstract, the beauty of cellular topologies, and those pondering the origins of life in specific locations. The tone varies from scientific interest to casual commentary, indicating moderate impact and engagement overall.

AgreementNeither agree nor disagree

Postings exhibit mixed reactions, with some recognizing the scientific insights but others questioning implications or expressing skepticism.

InterestModerate interest

Overall, the discussions show moderate curiosity about the origin of life, especially around chemiosmosis and LUCA, but some posts are more informal or tangential.

EngagementNeutral engagement

Several discussions reflect individuals contemplating the biological processes or sharing personal thoughts, but few delve deeply into scientific details.

ImpactModerate impact

The conversations highlight a general interest in understanding life's origins, although the influence on wider scientific discourse appears limited.

Abstract in brief

  • LUCA likely harnessed proton gradients formed naturally at alkaline hydrothermal vents to drive early energy processes, since homogeneous "primordial soup" conditions couldn't support chemiosmosis.
  • Chemiosmosis, which is essential for energy metabolism in living organisms, involves creating ion gradients; early cells probably initially used naturally occurring protonmotive forces before developing the ability to produce their own.
  • The first electron donor in this process was probably hydrogen, and the main electron acceptor was CO2, enabling primitive energy and carbon metabolism necessary for life's origin.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Eric
@ewschaetzle · X

@TOEwithCurt “Cells are driving copies of themselves by making more "miniature Earths" …I find it beautiful that the planet has the same basic topological structure as a cell." - Nick Lane See also "How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life" https://t.co/TRaxD29Kgn https://t.co/Kjpf6CiTiQ

Sep 22, 2022 · 1 like · 1 share · 278 followers View post →
Biología de Tranquis
@biotranquis · X

Y dejo también el que propone que lugares como La Ciudad Perdida pudieron ser el lugar donde se originó la vida. Un día de estos tengo que revisitar el origen de la vida y sus hipótesis. https://t.co/iwdWfT1GDe

Feb 2, 2021 · 1 like · 162 followers View post →
Martin Schmalzried
@MartSchmalzried · X

RT @ewschaetzle: @TOEwithCurt “Cells are driving copies of themselves by making more "miniature Earths" …I find it beautiful that the plane…

Nov 20, 2022 · 1 share · 613 followers View post →
Kyuu KetSuki
@KyuuKetSuki676 · X

@AliBaseham @freemonotheist @MAhmed_079 This is an abstract from a paper called "How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life". Unfortunately you need to pay or have access through an institution. This is the origin of life and if you actually understand how evolution works, Abrahamic god is impossibl https://t.co/wBjz2ZgMVU

Apr 18, 2024 · 12 followers View post →

All mentions

Kyuu KetSuki
@KyuuKetSuki676 · X

@AliBaseham @freemonotheist @MAhmed_079 This is an abstract from a paper called "How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life". Unfortunately you need to pay or have access through an institution. This is the origin of life and if you actually understand how evolution works, Abrahamic god is impossibl https://t.co/wBjz2ZgMVU

Apr 18, 2024 · 12 followers View post →
Martin Schmalzried
@MartSchmalzried · X

RT @ewschaetzle: @TOEwithCurt “Cells are driving copies of themselves by making more "miniature Earths" …I find it beautiful that the plane…

Nov 20, 2022 · 1 share · 613 followers View post →
Eric
@ewschaetzle · X

@TOEwithCurt “Cells are driving copies of themselves by making more "miniature Earths" …I find it beautiful that the planet has the same basic topological structure as a cell." - Nick Lane See also "How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life" https://t.co/TRaxD29Kgn https://t.co/Kjpf6CiTiQ

Sep 22, 2022 · 1 like · 1 share · 278 followers View post →
Biología de Tranquis
@biotranquis · X

Y dejo también el que propone que lugares como La Ciudad Perdida pudieron ser el lugar donde se originó la vida. Un día de estos tengo que revisitar el origen de la vida y sus hipótesis. https://t.co/iwdWfT1GDe

Feb 2, 2021 · 1 like · 162 followers View post →
Proton Gradient, Cell Origin, ATP Synthase | Learn Science at Scitable
Blogs

... 10.1002/bies.200900131. Lane, N. & Martin, W. The energetics of genome complexity. Nature 467, 929-934 (2010). Martin, W. & Russell, M. On the origin of ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Last Universal Common Ancestor - Wikipedia | PDF | Virus | Archaea
News

"How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life". BioEssays. 32 (4): 271–280. doi:10.1002/bies.200900131 (https:// ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Your Life As Planet Earth | PDF | Earth | Magma
News

... 10.1002/bies.200900131/abstract. 39. Lane, N., Life Ascending (Norton, 2009), http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=15651. Lazar, C., McCollom ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Biological Innovations Built Wolrd | PDF | Mutation | Natural Selection
News

https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.200900131. Lang SQ et al (2010) Elevated concentrations of formate, acetate and dissolved organic carbon found at the Lost City ...

Dec 12, 2025 View →
Evolution vs Young Earth Creationism: Observable Evidence and Faith
Facebook

... wiley. com/doi/abs/10.1002/bies.200900131. GIF, description not available, sent by Kevin Kehres. onlinelibrary.wiley.com. 2 yrs · Tim Byers.

Feb 14, 2024 View →
Fermantasyon Nedir? Fermante Olmuş Yiyecekler, İnsansı Evrimine ...
Blogs

... 10.1002/bies.200900131. | Arşiv Bağlantısı; A. Martini. (1992). Biodiversity And Conservation Of Yeasts. Biodiversity & Conservation, sf: 324 ...

Sep 1, 2020 View →
Ny hypotese om livets oprindelse modsiger den gængse teori
News

... 10.1002/bies.200900131 · "The emergence of life from iron monosulphide bubbles at a submarine hydrothermal redox and pH front", Journal of the ...

Aug 20, 2016 View →
respiration | Jung's Biology Blog
Blogs

BioEssays DOI 10.1002/bies.200900131. Stock D, Leslie AGW, Walker JE 1999 Molecular architecture of the rotary motor in ATP synthase. Science ...

Mar 4, 2010 View →