The scientific journals Science Advances and Nature published the work of a young Turkish physicist Furkan Ozturk. It is believed that the article may shed light on how life originated on planet Earth and in space in general. Nobel Prize winner Jack Szostak called the Turkish physicist's discovery revolutionary.
Furkan Ozturk and his team were able to crystallize RNA precursor molecules on magnetic minerals to produce RNA building blocks in the form of a helix that bends only to the right or left. This process relates to the concept of "homochirality," which is a prerequisite for the origin of life.
"My research addresses the important but obscure problem of the origin of life. We hope that our discovery will inform us about possible life forms on other planets. Thus, if we understand exactly how life formed on Earth, we will have more information about the conditions under which life can arise.", said Furkan Öztürk.