Paleoenzymology (British: palaeoenzymology) is the study of prehistoric life through the properties of enzymes present in those organisms. Reconstruction of ancient enzymes is possible through Maximum Likelihood prediction of ancestral genes. In a recent study conducted by the Fernandez Lab at Columbia University, in collaboration with researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Universidad de Granada, these techniques were used to reconstruct thioredoxin enzymes from up to 4 billion year old organisms. Whereas the chemical activity of these reconstructed enzymes were remarkably similar to modern enzymes, their physical properties showed significantly elevated thermal and acidic stability. These results suggest that ancient life evolved in oceans that were much hotter and more acidic than today.
This new research line is currently developed by Dr Raul Perez-Jimenez at CIC nanoGUNE (Spain)