A New Factor in Life's Quest for Energy

摘要

How life evolved on Earth, how it adapted from its earliest beginnings, and what global and local environmental conditions and chemical prerequisites were helpful in its genesis are most intriguing scientific questions (see, for example, reference [1]). Porphyrinoids, which are thought to be of prebiotic origin, may have played a critical role in this early development of life. These tetrapyrroles possess basic structures that have proved to be remarkably useful in meeting a range of essential biological needs.