[Photochemistry and Photobiology] Experiments conducted in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) since the 1990s have investigated the evolution of organic matter in solid-phase (including amino acids) under solar photon irradiation to […]
amino acids
Posted inAstrochemistry
Nonequilibrium Formation of C4 Carbonyls in Interstellar Ices Linked to Amino Acids
[ACS Central Science] Complex organic molecules in interstellar ices and carbonaceous asteroids record key steps in the chemical evolution toward life, yet the origin of branched carbonyl compounds a fundamental […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Prebiotic Peptide Formation Triggered By Urea-rich Warm Little Ponds On Early Earth
[Bioorganic Chemistry]. In the study of the origin of life, the polymerization of amino acids into peptides in water faces significant thermodynamic barriers, often referred to as the “water problem.”
Posted inAstrochemistry
An Interstellar Energetic And Non-aqueous Pathway To Peptide Formation
[astro-ph.SR] The origin of the molecular building blocks of life is a central question in science. A few α-amino acids such as glycine, the simplest proteinogenic amino acid, have been […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Photodynamics Of Amino Acids Under UV Excitation: Extraterrestrial Amino Acids
[J. Chem. Phys.] The detection of amino acids in extraterrestrial environments has important implications for astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry, yet the pathways to their syntheses and their photostability under such […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The Evolution Of The First Code
Background/Objectives: tRNAs, tRNAomes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs), the first proteins, ribosomes and the genetic code coevolved. We utilize sequence data to reconstruct key steps in establishing the first code on Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report
Stereoselective Phosphorylation of d-Ribose as a Driver of Life’s Homochirality
Life demonstrates remarkable homochirality of its major building blocks: nucleic acids, amino acids, sugars, and phospholipids. Phospholipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes) are formed at the water/air interface from Langmuir layers and […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Deep-time Consistency In Proteome Elemental Composition Across Cellular And Viral Life
Proteins are constructed from a limited alphabet of ~20 amino acids, yet the origins and selection of this specific alphabet are unresolved.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
An Organics-forward Approach To Searching For Life On Mars
The modern Martian surface is cold, dry, oxidizing, and perpetually bombarded with radiation, rendering it generally inhospitable to life as we know it.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Artificial Intelligence Aided Design Of Peptides With Custom Secondary Structure Motifs And Reduced Amino Acid Alphabets
Proteins are highly diverse functional polymers where the specific sequence of amino acids, selected from a standard genetically-encoded alphabet of twenty (C20), determines the structure and ultimately the function of […]