abiotic chemistry Archives - Astrobiology

Time evolution for two morphological dynamics in PISA specimens: (a) gelation takes place in an oxygen-poor PISA specimen, (b) “Phoenix” dynamics take place in the oxygen-rich PISA specimen (Adapted with permission from reference [19]).-- [Life]

Origin & Evolution of Life

Degradation, Osmosis and the Emergence of Basic Functionalities in Abiotic Synthetic Life-like Chemical Systems

by Keith CowingAugust 5, 2026August 5, 2026

[Life] Autonomous and interconnected multiscale out-of-equilibrium processes, including chemical and physical feedbacks, occur at the micron and lower scales during the heterotrophic synthesis of simple abiotic protocells, such as the […]

Schematic overview of possible paths of major endogenous carbon and nitrogen sources on an early Earth, starting from a CO2−, H2−, and N2−containing atmosphere. -- Astrobiology

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Terrestrial Abiotic Synthesis of Simple Precursor Molecules Starting from Two Approaches: The Universality of Carbon Reduction

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2026June 20, 2026

To address the chemistry responsible for life’s emergence, we examine the simple chemicals accessible on early Earth and the processes that could have transformed them. We focus on carbon reduction […]

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit began collecting images for a 360-degree panorama of new terrain, the rover captured this view of a dark boulder with an interesting surface texture. Larger image

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Mars Organic Geochemistry-Are We Alone, and Where Did We Come From?

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2026June 20, 2026

This review of martian organic geochemistry aims to contextualize recent findings of organic molecules in martian meteorites and from Mars missions within the broader study of origins of life on […]

Template-based cleavage and condensation. (Top) cleavage. The catalyst contains an active site (shown as colored monomers, and highlighted by the ochre box) and a designated cleavage position (the vertical red line). A molecule is treated as a reactant when a segment within it is complementary to the catalyst’s active site; once this match is found, the molecule is split (the break is highlighted in the figure by a small “explosion”) at the cut position. (Bottom) condensation. The catalyst again features an active site and a suture position. A molecule qualifies as the first reactant if its ending segment complements the first portion of the active site, and another molecule serves as the second reactant if its starting segment complements the second portion of the active site. -- Entropy

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Template-Based Catalysis and the Emergence of Collectively Autocatalytic SystemsEntropy

by Keith CowingMarch 8, 2026March 8, 2026

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 […]

Normalized number of monomers and dimers as a function of the temperature and reaction time. Three states are identified: thermodynamic compression, combinatorial explosion, and kinetic compression. In addition, at very short reaction times and low temperatures, we observe the case in which initial components do not react significantly and persist over the course of the simulation. Parameters for this simulation are set as shown in Table 1, except for the concentrations of both kinetic and thermodynamic compressors are constant at 0.05 M. The temperature ranges from −50°C to 200°C, and reaction times range from 10−2s to 108s. -- Phys Chem Chem Phys. via PubMed

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

Stringent Selection On Kinetics Of Condensation Reactions: Early Steps In Chemical Evolution

by Keith CowingFebruary 26, 2026February 26, 2026

The emergence of chemical selectivity poses a central challenge in origins-of-life research. As demonstrated by analyses of asteroid and meteorite samples, abiotic chemistry is incredibly messy.