[biorxiv.org] Flavins are organic redox cofactors central to metabolism and uniquely capable of acting as extracellular electron shuttles. For life to have emerged, it must have disengaged itself from its […]
Metabolism
![Most theoretical work on the origin of heredity has focused on how genetic information can be maintained without mutational degradation in the absence of error-proofing systems. -- [PLOS Biology]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Selection-For.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
Selection For Growth Drives The Emergence Of Genetic Heredity In Protocells
[PLOS Biology] A simple and parsimonious solution assumes the first gene sequences evolved inside dividing protocells, which enables selection for functional sets. But this model of information maintenance does not […]
Posted inUncategorized
Hydrothermal Origin Of Metabolic Phosphorylation
Phosphate is central to modern bioenergetics and to all theories for the origin of life. How phosphate entered metabolism is unknown, though microbial physiology and geochemical environments can provide important […]
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 inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
A Glimpse At The Origins Of Life Through A Deceptive Mirror
Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror, only to find that your reflection is governed by different laws than you are: Identical movements produce different outcomes, and what seems like […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Scientists Reveal Disease Genes From Reconstruction Of Ancestor To All Complex Life
A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor […]
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Physiological Trade-offs Drive The archaeal Dominance And Carbon Turnover In Deep Subsurface
Marine sediments host a vast deep biosphere, yet how microorganisms persist under severe energy limitation and govern long-term organic carbon (OC) preservation remains poorly understood.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Microbial Growth Rates Captured Using Raman-SIP reveal A Highly Active Subsurface Biosphere Fueled By Serpentinization
Microbial productivity, metabolite fluxes, nutrient cycling and biosignatures are directly linked to microbial growth rates, which remain largely unknown in subsurface environments.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Status Report
Decoding Extremophiles: Insights From Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, And Data-driven Approaches
Life thrives in Earth’s most inhospitable environments, from boiling hydrothermal vents to hypersaline lakes and frozen polar deserts, thanks to the remarkable adaptations of extremophilic microorganisms.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Evolutionary Origin Of The Bipartite Architecture Of Dissipative Cellular Networks
Recently, plenty research has been done on discovering the role of energy dissipation in biological networks, most of which focus on the relationship of dissipation and functionality.