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Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,17]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Modern life requires many different metal ions, which enable diverse biochemical functions. It is commonly assumed that metal ions\u2019 environmental availabilities controlled the evolution of early life. We argue that evolution can only explore the chemistry that life encounters, and fortuitous chemical interactions between metal ions and biological compounds can only be selected for if they first occur sufficiently frequently. We calculated maximal transition metal ion concentrations in the ancient ocean, determining that the amounts of biologically important transition metal ions were orders of magnitude lower than ferrous iron. Under such conditions, primitive bioligands would predominantly interact with Fe(II). While interactions with other metals in certain environments may have provided evolutionary opportunities, the biochemical capacities of Fe(II), Fe\u2013S clusters, or the plentiful magnesium and calcium could have satisfied all functions needed by early life. Primitive organisms could have used Fe(II) exclusively for their transition metal ion requirements.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2318692121","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,9]],"date-time":"2024-09-09T15:03:00Z","timestamp":1725894180000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":51,"title":["Iron: Life\u2019s primeval transition metal"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"121","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8842-100X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jena E.","family":"Johnson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4747-2174","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Theodore M.","family":"Present","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7174-925X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joan Selverstone","family":"Valentine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125"},{"name":"Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2113\/gselements.11.6.395"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00931406"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"R. 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