The original recipe for gene soup may have been simple — rain, a jumble of common molecules, warm sunshine, and nighttime cooling. Then add a pinch of thickener. The last […]
Origin & Evolution of Life
Posted inAstrogeology, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Earthquakes, Marsquakes, and the Possibility of Life
A new study shows that rocks formed by the grinding together of other rocks during earthquakes are rich in trapped hydrogen — a finding that suggests similar seismic activity on […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Where Did Carbon Come From For Life on Earth?
Research by Rice University Earth scientists suggests that virtually all of Earth’s life-giving carbon could have come from a collision about 4.4 billion years ago between Earth and an embryonic […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Recreating A Primordial RNA World
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have taken a big step toward the laboratory re-creation of the “RNA world,” which is generally believed to have preceded modern life forms […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evolution of Simple Multicellularity Increases Environmental Complexity
Multicellularity–the integration of previously autonomous cells into a new, more complex organism–is one of the major transitions in evolution. Multicellularity changed evolutionary possibilities and facilitated the evolution of increased complexity. […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Fossil Evidence Supports Theory That First Mass Extinction Engineered by Early Animals
Newly discovered fossil evidence from Namibia strengthens the proposition that the world’s first mass extinction was caused by “ecosystem engineers” – newly evolved biological organisms that altered the environment so […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Warmer Early Earth May Have Experienced Faster Evolution of Life
Early life forms on Earth are likely to have mutated and evolved at much higher rates than they do today, suggests a new analysis from researchers at the University of […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The First Life In The Universe May Have Arisen on Carbon Planets
Our Earth consists of silicate rocks and an iron core with a thin veneer of water and life. But the first potentially habitable worlds to form might have been very […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evolution Influenced By Temporary Microbes
Life on Earth often depends on symbiotic relationships between microbes and other forms of life. A new theory suggests that researchers should consider how symbiotic microbes can influence the evolution […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Solar Storms May Have Been Key to Life on Earth
Our sun’s adolescence was stormy-and new evidence shows that these tempests may have been just the key to seeding life as we know it. Some 4 billion years ago, the […]