A Shenzhen Chemist Proposes That Ancient Mineral Nanoparticles Catalyzed the First Steps Toward Life

The origin of life is one of science most contested problems. Dozens of partial hypotheses each explain a different piece of the puzzle: the RNA world, the metabolism-first hypothesis, the iron-sulfur world. Each has strong supporting evidence. None accounts for all the others.

Professor Yongdong Jin of the School of Biomedical Engineering at Shenzhen University has proposed a framework to connect these partial accounts. Published in Research, the nanozymes hypothesis places naturally occurring mineral nanoparticles with enzyme-like catalytic properties at the center of the story.

What nanozymes are and where they come from

Nanozymes are nanometer-scale materials that mimic enzyme catalytic functions. The concept was established for synthetic materials, but Jin proposes that nature made them first. Volcanic activity, hydrothermal systems, weathering, and UV-driven chemistry of the early Earth would have continuously generated metal, metal oxide, and metal sulfide nanoparticles.

Jin argues these mineral nanoparticles (MN-zymes) were not passive. Their catalytic surfaces could accelerate chemical reactions. Their mineral structure could bind and concentrate organic precursor molecules. Their composition could provide UV protection. Their photocatalytic and electrocatalytic properties - activated by sunlight and lightning - could have driven energy input into prebiotic chemical systems. In this view, the Earth itself functions as a natural all-in-one chemistry laboratory.

Natural nanoparticles are not hypothetical. Thousands of terragrams of mineral nanoparticles currently cycle through Earth atmosphere, oceans, soils, and freshwater annually. Nanoparticles can form spontaneously from weathered minerals in charged water microdroplets and under UV irradiation.

The five proposed roles of MN-zymes

Jin identifies five functions mineral nanozymes may have served. First, catalysis - accelerating conversion of inorganic gases into organic molecules through inorganic photosynthesis. Second, surface binding - concentrating dilute prebiotic molecules on mineral surfaces so reactions too slow in bulk solution can occur. Third, UV protection - shielding fragile organic molecules from intense early Earth UV radiation. Fourth, molecular selection - selectively stabilizing certain molecular structures to create non-genetic bias toward specific molecular types. Fifth, energy flow management - channeling light, heat, and lightning into chemical transformations.

Gold nanoparticles and the Au world

One unconventional proposal concerns gold nanoparticles. Gold in bulk is chemically inert, but at the nanoscale it becomes catalytically active. Jin argues that monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles would have been geologically plausible on early Earth and may have played roles in what he calls the Au world - a phase of chemical evolution where gold-catalyzed reactions contributed to prebiotic chemistry diversity.

What the hypothesis proposes versus what it establishes

The nanozymes hypothesis is a theoretical framework, not an experimentally confirmed account. Jin draws on existing knowledge of nanomaterial chemistry, prebiotic chemistry, and geochemistry, but specific proposed mechanisms have not been directly confirmed by experiment. Reconstructing early Earth chemistry is inherently difficult: conditions cannot be fully reproduced, relevant timescales are geological, and the transition from chemistry to biology left no direct record. The hypothesis is proposed as a unifying framework to stimulate research rather than as a settled explanation.