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 […]
Darwinian evolution
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Persistence Selection Between Simulated Biogeochemical Cycle Variants For Their Distinct Effects On The Earth System
The average long-term impact of Darwinian evolution on Earth’s habitability remains extremely uncertain. Recent attempts to reconcile this uncertainty by “Darwinizing” nonreplicating biogeochemical processes subject to persistence-based selection conform with […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Did Organs Precede Organisms In The Origin Of Life?
Evolutionary processes acting on populations of organized molecules preceded the origin of living organisms.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Selection for Photocatalytic Function through Darwinian Evolution of Synthetic Self-Replicators
The onset of Darwinian evolution represents a key step in the transition of chemical systems into living ones.
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 […]
![[L] Absorbance data was acquired on a Perkin Elmer Synergy Neo2 plate reader equipped with monochromator optics. We first conducted spectral scanning from 380 nm to 740 nm (5 nm steps) to determine the wavelength of maximal OD increase (645 nm). Subsequent endpoint reads were acquired pre- and post-UV exposure at that single wavelength. Black columns – liposomes before the UV irradiation; grey columns – liposomes radiated with UV for 3 minutes. [R] Liposomes after 3 min of UV radiation. The top image shows liposomes shielded by cuvettes with distilled water, and the middle and bottom images show liposomes shielded by cuvettes with solutions of (NH4)5[Fe(C6H4O7)2] and FeCl3. -- biorxiv.org](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Solutions-Of-Ferrous-Salts.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Solutions Of Ferrous Salts Protect Liposomes From UV Damage: Implications For Life Origin
Previously, we presented a hypothesis on the Darwinian evolution of liposomes that relies only on natural and ever-present phenomena: solar UV radiation, day/night cycle, gravity, and the formation of amphiphiles, […]