New 'nanozymes' hypothesis suggests minerals may have helped spark the origin of life on Earth

A longstanding puzzle in science is how early Earth crossed the line from nonliving chemistry to the first living systems. A new hypothesis offers a different way to think about that transition.

Rather than centering the story on a single molecule such as RNA, the idea points to tiny mineral particles with enzyme-like behavior, known as "nanozymes," as possible key players in the process.

What's happening?

The proposal comes from Prof. Yongdong Jin of Shenzhen University's School of Biomedical Engineering in China, who has introduced a "nanozymes hypothesis" for the origin of life on Earth.

In Jin's framework, naturally occurring mineral nanoparticles may have served as primitive catalysts, helping convert simple prehistoric gases into more complex molecules through what he describes as "inorganic photosynthesis."

Jin's review gives these mineral nanozymes a broader role than simply accelerating reactions. They may have gathered chemicals on their surfaces, shielded fragile molecules from ultraviolet radiation, influenced which compounds remained stable, and managed energy from sunlight, heat, and electricity.

Ideas about life's beginnings have long been split among partial models, including metabolism-first, RNA-world, and lipid-world theories. Jin's proposal aims to link those views within a wider system, with early Earth acting as a vast natural chemistry laboratory over billions of years.

Why does it matter?

Studies on the origin of life shape how scientists understand chemistry, biology, and the conditions that may be needed for life elsewhere in the universe.

A key part of the hypothesis is its focus on mineral nanoparticles that are naturally abundant and still move through oceans, soils, air, and water today. Some of these particles are already known to exhibit enzyme-like activity, so the idea is grounded in a measurable property of minerals rather than pure speculation.

The paper also identifies four conditions that may have helped early life-related molecules persist: wet-dry cycling, self-assembly, catalytic activity, and stabilization through pairing or symbiosis.

Understanding how simple materials manage energy and build complexity may eventually contribute to technologies that are less resource-intensive and more affordable.

What's being done?

The next step is testing. In this field, a strong hypothesis must lead to experiments that researchers can actually carry out in the lab.

That means scientists can now investigate whether specific mineral nanoparticles truly can perform the range of roles Jin describes under realistic early-Earth conditions.

Researchers can also test the "Au world" concept, which suggests that gold nanoparticles protected by simple organic molecules may have become especially effective nanozymes after thiols and amines appeared.

More broadly, the review examines how molecules may have cooperated and co-evolved during life's earliest stages.

The mystery has not been solved. Scientists are getting better at developing testable ideas about how life may have emerged, and the nanozyme framework offers a new one to explore.

The proposal ultimately portrays early Earth as an "all-in-one" chemistry laboratory, where minerals, energy, water, and time may have worked together to push matter toward life. Whether that idea holds up will depend on what future experiments reveal.

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