[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 […]
biochemistry
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Uncatalyzed Guanosine Phosphorylation under Potentially Prebiotic Conditions
[Chem EurJ] The phosphorylation of nucleosides and their subsequent polymerization are key issues in the study of the Origins of Life. How these chemical processes took place on primitive Earth […]
Posted inEnceladus
Enceladus Offers Clues In The Search For Extraterrestrial Life
[Free University Berlin] With a global ocean of liquid water below a thick crust of ice, Saturn’s moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places to search for life […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Computational Modeling Of An RNA-peptide World
[biorxiv.org] Emergence and evolution of functional RNA and protein structures are the central problems for understanding the origin of life.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
On-demand Microfluidic Synthesis Of Silver Nanoparticles For SERS Detection Of Organic Compounds: A Preliminary Feasibility Study For Astrobiology Applications
[Spectrochimica Acta Part A] The detection of organic molecules at trace concentration levels remains a critical challenge for astrobiology research.
Posted inMagnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,
Could Earth’s Magnetic Field Influence How Earth Life Ages?
[University of Nottingham] The Earth’s magnetic field may influence how cells produce energy, physical performance and even lifespan, according to new research from the University of Nottingham.
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
Glycine In The Interstellar Medium Revisited: Resolving Conformational Complexity Kinetically
[astro-ph.GA] Numerous attempts to detect glycine, a simple amino acid and a key building block of proteins in all life on Earth, in the interstellar medium have so far been […]
![Low-angle backscatter electron (LABE) imaging (Supplement 9) of sample OREX-220001-1 consisting of particles obtained from inside the SRC but exterior to the sample canister — including fragments of Bennu, SRC char, and metal. FG, fine-grained. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OSIRIS-REx.png?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Posted inSample Return
OSIRIS-REx Returned a Pristine Sample of Asteroid Bennu: Takeaways from the Mission’s Contamination Control and Knowledge Program
[astro-ph.EP] NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission had the objective of delivering a pristine sample from asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth for scientific analysis–where “pristine” signifies the absence of foreign materials that could […]
Posted inBiophysics
How A Deep-sea Protein Adapts To An Extreme Environment
[Kyushu University] Life in the deep sea is under immense pressure—literally. Such extreme conditions can disrupt the delicate structures of proteins essential to life. Yet somehow, the proteins in deep-sea […]