Multiple prebiotic metals mediate translation

Significance Ribosomes are found in every living organism, where they are responsible for the translation of messenger RNA into protein. The ribosome’s centrality to cell function is underscored by its evolutionary conservation; the core structure has changed little since its inception ∼4 billion years ago when ecosystems were anoxic and metal-rich. The ribosome is a model system for the study of bioinorganic chemistry, owing to the many highly coordinated divalent metal cations that are essential to its function. We studied the structure, function, and cation content of the ribosome under early Earth conditions (low O 2 , high Fe 2+ , and high Mn 2+ ). Our results expand the roles of Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ in ancient and extant biochemistry as cofactors for ribosomal structure and function.