![BSSE-corrected BE values of all the 75 d-H positions considering the 9 different ASW [H2O]20 clusters. The corresponding values are tabulated in Table A.2. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Assessing-realistic-binding-energies.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
In the absence of laboratory data, state-of-the-art quantum chemical approaches can provide estimates on the binding energy (BE) of interstellar species with grains. Without BE values, contemporary astrochemical models are […]
biophysics
Posted inBiophysics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Why and How do Complex Systems Self-Organize at All? Average Action Efficiency as a Predictor, Measure, Driver, and Mechanism of Self-Organization
Self-organization in complex systems is a process in which randomness is reduced and emergent structures appear that allow the system to function in a more competitive way with other states […]
![Rapid coalescence and RNA exchange between unstable protocells. (A) Schematic of preparation of coacervate model protocells. Aqueous solutions of PDDA (positively charged) and ATP (negatively charged) are mixed, along with fluorescently labeled protein or oligonucleotide molecules, to make fluorescently distinct protocell populations. (B and C) Confocal micrographs showing the coalescence of unstable protocells during mixing. Fluorescently distinct PDDA-ATP droplet populations containing fluorophore-labeled BSA or RNA were mixed, and the images were collected after 5 min. Coalescence is evident from the overlapping of red [CF488-BSA in (B) or Cy2-RNA-6nt in (C)] and blue (CF640-BSA) fluorescence in a majority of the droplets. Scale bars, 25 μm. (D and E) Confocal micrographs and the accompanying FRAP plot showing a fast (timescale of a few minutes) recovery of fluorescence from Cy2-labeled RNA of (D) 6 nt in length and (E) 49 nt in length in the photobleached droplets, suggesting a rapid exchange of RNA molecules between protocells. The fluorescence microscopy images are false colored for clarity. Scale bars, 25 μm. -- Science / UChicago](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/New-Research-Suggests-Rainwater.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Research Suggests Rainwater Helped Form The First Protocell Walls
One of the major unanswered questions about the origin of life is how droplets of RNA floating around the primordial soup turned into the membrane-protected packets of life we call […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Understanding the Role of Layered Minerals in the Emergence and Preservation of Proto-Proteins and Detection of Traces of Early Life
The origin of life remains one of the most profound mysteries in science. Over millennia, theories have evolved, yet the question persists: How did life emerge from inanimate matter?
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
What Gave The First Molecules Their Stability?
The origins of life remain a major mystery. How were complex molecules able to form and remain intact for prolonged periods without disintegrating? A team at ORIGINS, a Munich-based Cluster […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Press Release
Astrochemistry: Unexpected Behavior In Dimers of CO2 Molecules After Ionization
An international team of scientists, led by Profs. Daniel Strasser and Roi Baer from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has made an important discovery in molecular physics, revealing unexpected symmetry-breaking […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Comb Jelly Adaptations To Life At Extreme Pressure
The bottom of the ocean is not hospitable: there is no light; the temperature is freezing cold; and the pressure of all the water above will literally crush you. The […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Icy Worlds, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Prebiotic Chemistry: New Probe Reveals Water-ice Microstructures
Ice is believed to have played a crucial role in the emergence of life. One reason is that organic molecules can be excluded into the gaps between the crystal lattice […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Newly Discovered Hydrothermal Vents At Depths Of 3,000 Meters Off Svalbard
Hydrothermal vents are seeps on the sea floor from which hot liquids escape. “Water penetrates into the ocean floor where it is heated by magma. The overheated water then rises […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report
Hybrid Approach Predicts A Lower Binding Energy For Benzene On Water Ice
In this paper we provide a highly accurate value for the binding energy of benzene to proton-ordered crystalline water ice (XIh), as a model for interstellar ices.