![Temperature domains of water and terrestrial biopolymers at atmospheric pressure. Left: temperature domains of stability and metastability for liquid and glassy water (black) and dynamic transition (red) (11–13). Equilibrium transitions are shown as full lines, kinetically controlled transitions as dashed lines. Right: temperature domains and glass transition for folding of terrestrial biopolymers (blue). Circles indicate proteins (15–19, 27), squares indicate RNA (16, 20–22) and triangles indicate DNA (23–26). Above the glass transition temperature (dashed line) a biopolymer can search for its folded form in an efficient manner. Below the biopolymer glass transition temperature a biopolymer is trapped in a rough energy landscape and will not fold in a biology relevant timescale. The theoretical limits for Tsel and Tf calculated from the average glass transition temperature and formula [4] to [6] are shown as continuous lines. Adapted from (11). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Solventconstraints.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
We propose that spontaneous folding and molecular evolution of biopolymers are two universal aspects that must concur for life to happen.
organic chemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Volatiles In The H2O and CO2 Ices Of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) was the first mission that accompanied a comet over a substantial fraction of its orbit.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Autocatalytic Reactions And The Search For Life
NASA-supported researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have written a “cookbook” of chemical recipes that could aid in the search for life beyond Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Tale Of 3 Dwarf Planets: Ices And Organics On Sedna, Gonggong, And Quaoar From JWST Spectroscopy
We observed Sedna, Gonggong, and Quaoar with the NIRSpec instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). All three bodies were observed in the low-resolution prism mode at wavelengths spanning […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Novel Bacterial Proteins From Seafloor Shine Light On Climate And Astrobiology
Gigatons of greenhouse gas are trapped under the seafloor, and that’s a good thing. Around the coasts of the continents, where slopes sink down into the sea, tiny cages of […]
![PES of the reaction [8] of Table 1, CH+ 4 + HCN. The plot shows the results obtained at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory -- astro-ph.SR](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Revised.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Status Report
Revised Gas-phase Formation Network Of Methyl Cyanide: The Origin Of Methyl Cyanide And Methanol Abundance Correlation In Hot Corinos
Methyl cyanide (CH3CN) is one of the most abundant and widely spread interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs). Several studies found that, in hot corinos, methyl cyanide and methanol abundances are […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Webb Finds A Carbon Source On The Surface Of Europa
Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of a handful of worlds in our Solar System that could potentially harbour conditions suitable for life. Previous research has shown that beneath its water-ice […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Carbon-bearing Molecules In A Possible Hycean Atmosphere
The search for habitable environments and biomarkers in exoplanetary atmospheres is the holy grail of exoplanet science. The detection of atmospheric signatures of habitable Earth-like exoplanets is challenging due to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Carbon Atoms Coming Together In Space
Lab-based studies reveal how carbon atoms diffuse on the surface of interstellar ice grains to form complex organic compounds, crucial to reveal the chemical complexity in the universe.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Chemical Evolution Of Some Selected Complex Organic Molecules In Low-mass Star-forming Regions
The destiny of complex organic molecules (COMs) in star-forming regions is interlinked with various evolutionary phases. Therefore, identifying these species in diversified environments of identical star-forming regions would help to […]