Mathematical and computational models, which have been successfully used in various fields of biology, are particularly relevant in studies on the origin of life, where wet experiments have not yet […]
Biophysics
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Scientists Form Complex DNA Structures Without Hydrogen Bond
No “sticky ends”? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
ALMA Central molecular zone Exploration Survey (ACES) V: CS(2-1), SO(2_3-1_2), CH3CHO(5_1,4-4_1,3), HC3N(11-10), and H40a lines data
We present data from the ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) Large Program, which provides broad spectral-line and 3 mm continuum coverage of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) at […]
![Kinetic processes of the strand-based RNA reactor model [12,13,15] and their projection onto motif kinetics. We consider heteropolymer strands consisting of the two complementary nucleotides X and Y, which could represent RNA or DNA nucleotides. (a) Schematic of the reactions within the strand reactor, including hybridization, dehybridization, templated ligation, and cleavage of oligonucleotide strands. Strands that are not covalently linked are separated by small gaps; four-nucleotide motifs, including 3′ or 5′ ends, are highlighted in green. In templated ligation, a 3′- and a 5′-end motif build a six-nucleotide motif that contains three overlapping four-nucleotide motifs. (b) At the level of sequence motifs, the kinetics are based on motif production and motif breakage reactions. In four-nucleotide motifs, strand ends are marked with 3′ or 5′, respectively. Templated ligation generates longer strands containing additional motifs, thereby contributing to motif production, while strand cleavage leads to to motif breakage. Hybridization is not explicitly represented in the motif-level description; instead, it is implicitly incorporated into the rate constants for motif production and breakage by assuming a hybridization-dehybridization equilibrium and deducing the corresponding dissociation constants. -- Physical Review E](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sequence-Motif-Dynamics.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Sequence Motif Dynamics In RNA Pools
In RNA world scenarios, pools of RNA oligomers form strongly interacting, dynamic systems, which enable molecular evolution.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Metrology of Complexity and Implications for the Study of the Emergence of Life
One of the longest standing open problems in science is how life arises from non-living matter.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release
Life Forms Can Planet Hop On Asteroid Debris – And Survive
Tiny life forms tucked into debris from an asteroid hit could catapult to other planets – including Earth – and survive, a new Johns Hopkins University study finds.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Molecular Complexity Constrained Early Amino Acid Recruitment into the Genetic Code
Previously proposed chronologies of amino acid incorporation into the genetic code rely on consensus rankings derived from prebiotic synthesis experiments, biosynthetic pathways, or genomic trends.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotic Resource Constraints And The Origin Of Life: A Linear Logic Framework
The origin of life is a complex scientific problem demanding interdisciplinary approaches. We propose a Linear Logic (LL)-based computational framework to formally evaluate the feasibility of early biochemical pathways across […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Microbes From Ambient-pressure Analogues Offer Insights Into Possible Life In Europa’s High-pressure Subsurface Ocean
Under its thick ice layer, Europa contains a shielded liquid water ocean where habitable conditions may exist. To effectively assess the habitability of this environment and the implications on putative […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Low-energy Glycine Formation And Spectral Masking In Star-forming Regions
The presence of amino acids in comets and meteorites has long suggested that prebiotic molecules may have formed in space and contributed to the origins of life on Earth.