“When we react phosphite, a form of phosphorus that naturally occurs in hydrothermal vents, with organic compounds, we get metabolic phosphorylation reactions overnight in water. Phosphite and palladium replace ATP and enzymes; it's amazing, and it makes early evolution a lot easier to grasp,”

Manon Schlikker · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-05

Schlikker describes how phosphite and palladium can replace ATP and enzymes in metabolic phosphorylation reactions.