Ribose Stabilizes Boron in Early Waters

A new lab study using natural borate minerals (including crusts from Puga hot springs) shows ribose helps borate minerals dissolve and prevents their recrystallization, meaning more dissolved boron would have been available to protect ribose from degradation. This creates a reciprocal stabilisation loop: borate protects ribose from breakdown, while ribose increases borate availability in water. — If correct, this mechanism raises the plausibility of RNA‑first origin scenarios and changes which planetary environments (and which extraterrestrial samples) are prioritized in the search for life.