The Role of the Geomagnetic Field in ATP Hydrolysis under Prebiotic Earth Conditions

The geomagnetic field (GMF), as one of Earth’s fundamental environmental physical fields, remains underexplored in terms of its potential regulatory role in prebiotic chemical processes. Investigating its influence on key chemical reactions related to the origin of life can help elucidate how early Earth conditions shaped the formation and evolution of primordial biomolecules. ATP, as a central energy currency, undergoes non-enzymatic hydrolysis that is crucial for early energy metabolism, and the synergistic effects of metal ions and simple molecules such as amino acids may serve as important drivers of this process. This study focuses on the regulatory effect of the GMF on the metal–amino acid cooperative catalysis of ATP hydrolysis.

Integrating bioinformatics analysis with chemical experiments simulating primitive planetary conditions, we systematically investigated the synergistic effects of Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Ca²⁺ combined with representative amino acids on ATP hydrolysis under different magnetic field environments. The results indicate that metal ion together with acidic/polar amino acids (e.g., Asp, Thr) can significantly accelerate ATP hydrolysis under a hypomagnetic field (HMF) compared to the contemporary GMF environment. Further mechanistic studies suggest that this process may be associated with a metal-dependent radical pathway.

These findings imply that the GMF may act as a subtle modulator, influencing the chemical behavior of metal ions and radical reaction pathways, thereby participating in the regulation of early ATP hydrolysis and related energy metabolism networks. This research provides a new experimental perspective and chemical model for understanding the potential role of the GMF in prebiotic chemical environments, and also offers new criteria for assessing potential pathways of chemical evolution toward life on other planets.