To what extent are natural evolving systems limited in their potential diversity (i.e., “bounded”) versus unrestricted (“open-ended”)? Minerals provide a quantitative model evolving system, with well documented increases in mineral […]
biophysics
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotic Gas Flow Environment Enables Isothermal Nucleic Acid Replication
Nucleic acid replication is a central process at the origin of life. On early Earth, replication is challenged by the dilution of molecular building blocks and the difficulty of separating […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Polyextremophile Engineering: A Review Of Organisms That Push The Limits Of Life
Nature exhibits an enormous diversity of organisms that thrive in extreme environments. From snow algae that reproduce at sub-zero temperatures to radiotrophic fungi that thrive in nuclear radiation at Chernobyl, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Titan
Quantum Tunneling Could Enable Proton Transfer Reactions on Titan
The surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is rich in organics and is often suggested to model early Earth environments.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Competitive Exclusion Among Self-Replicating Molecules Curtails The Tendency Of Chemistry To Diversify
The transition of chemistry into biology is poorly understood. One of the key questions in this transition is how the inherently divergent nature of chemical reactions can be curtailed, allowing […]
![Biopolymer Solvent scoring. (A) Relationship between the fraction of the biopolymer compatible range and the liquid range of solvents and the average fractional efficiency for conversion of folding free energy to sequence information, for 54 solvents at 1 atm. Large black circle: water. Green circles: hydrocarbons. Magenta circles: small substances from C, H, O, N and S. Grey circles: other solvents in Table 1. Black line: range for water calculated from the uncertainty in the dynamic transition temperature presented in Figure 3 (values range from 180 to 230K). The grey lines indicate constant values of the BSscore (Equation [9]). (B) Ranking of the solvents according to the BSscore. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Solvent-Constraints-For-Biopolymer.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Solvent Constraints For Biopolymer Folding And Evolution In Extraterrestrial Environments
We propose that spontaneous folding and molecular evolution of biopolymers are two universal aspects that must concur for life to happen.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release
Rich Molecular Language Guides Tiny Liquid Droplet Formation In Cells
Peering into a biological cell reveals a bustling microscopic world. The workhorses within this realm are specialized structures called organelles that perform vital cellular functions.
![The parameter region of the AWDM. The correct baryon asymmetry can be obtained in the blue band. The region favored by the homochirality of the amino acids is represented by the red band. Here we use ξB = 0.1 − 10 while ξAA = 0.01 − 100. The gray (light gray) region is excluded by the observation relevant to the X-ray emission adopted from [39] (phase-space bound). The dotted line denotes the future reach by Athena [69]. -- hep-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Asymmetric-Warm-Dark-Matter.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Status Report
Asymmetric Warm Dark Matter: From Cosmological Asymmetry to Chirality of Life
We investigate a novel scenario involving asymmetric keV-range dark matter (DM) in the form of right-handed (sterile) neutrinos.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Bioenergetics Of Iron Snow Fueling Life On Europa
The main sources of redox gradients supporting high-productivity life in the Europan and other icy ocean world oceans were proposed to be photolytically derived oxidants, such as reactive oxygen species […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Designer peptide–DNA Cytoskeletons Regulate The Function Of Synthetic Cells
The bottom-up engineering of artificial cells requires a reconfigurable cytoskeleton that can organize at distinct locations and dynamically modulate its structural and mechanical properties.