[PNAS]. Whereas phylogenetic reconstructions are a primary record of protein evolution, it is unknown whether the deep history of enzymes is encoded at higher levels of biological organization.
Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Structure Of An RNA polymerase Ribozyme Replication Complex
[biorxiv.org] Life began with the emergence of a molecule that could replicate its own genetic material, a task plausibly mediated by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme.
Posted inNanotechnology & SynBio
Advances in Machine Learning for Directed Evolution: A Five-Year Retrospective
[q-bio.BM] The last five-plus years have seen many protein engineering disciplines transformed by advances in machine learning (ML), but the same cannot be said for directed evolution.
Posted inMars
Stability Of Uracil In Different Sulphates Under Martian-like UV Irradiation
[Icarus] Mars is one of the most probable and accessible places where life could have evolved beyond Earth.
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
The Emergence Of Life In The Light Of Evolution
[q-bio.PE] The origin of life is often framed primarily as a chemical problem, yet life s defining feature is evolution.
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
ReactionAtlas: Ab Origine Exploration Of Chemical Reaction Networks With Machine Learning
[cs.LG] Mapping a chemical reaction network, the graph of minima and transition states (TS) and the elementary reactions connecting them, is the natural language of chemistry, from catalysis to combustion […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
ExMODE: A Comprehensive Resource For Extremophile Genomic And Functional Exploration
[iMetaOmics] ExMODE (https://db.genomics.cn/exmode/) integrates 3518 samples to build a unified extremophile resource, which hosts 1.35 billion habitat-specific non-redundant genes, 5.25 million representative protein structures, 67,026 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), and 164,132 […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Prebiotic Cationic Amino Acids Support Formation Of An Ancient Protein Fold
[biorxiv.org] The evolutionary basis for the selection of the standard proteinogenic amino acids remains elusive, particularly for the long cationic amino acids, lysine and arginine, which were likely scarce in […]
![Graphical abstract -- [biorxiv.org]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tinyRNA-seq.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
tinyRNA-seq: An Optimized Approach To Sequencing Tiny RNAs And Primitive RNA Genomes
[biorxiv.org] Very short RNAs play critical roles in modern biology, and are thought to have been crucial for genome replication during the origin of life.
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety
Functional Profiling Of Spacecraft Cleanroom Microbiomes Through Genome‑wide Phenotype Predictions
[biorxiv.org] Current planetary protection approaches rely heavily on spore-based tests developed for Mars missions and may not adequately assess contamination risks for icy ocean worlds such as Europa.