Life as we know it relies on the interplay between catalytic activity and information processing carried out by biological polymers.
origin of life
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
How Do Particles With Complex Interactions Self-assemble?
In living cells, proteins self-assemble into large functional structures based on specific interactions between molecularly complex patches.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Multistable Protocells Can Aid the Evolution of Prebiotic Autocatalytic Sets
We present a simple mathematical model that captures the evolutionary capabilities of a prebiotic compartment or protocell.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Simulating Early Ocean Vents Shows Life’s Building Blocks Form Under Pressure
By mimicking rocky seafloor chimneys in the lab, scientists have produced new evidence that these features could have provided the right ingredients to kick-start life.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Synthesizing Nucleic Acids Before The Emergence Of Life
Life on Earth comes in many diverse forms, yet there are certain biological molecules that are used by all life, appearing in every living cell throughout history.
![Chain length distributions created by foldcats’ cooperativity. (Left, black) Typical polymerizations produce mostly short chains (shown as bin filling), following a Flory distribution [62, 90]. (Right, red) Foldcats produce more long chains for 2 reasons: (i) Foldcats catalyze elongation of other chains (k1 and k2), and (ii) Folded chains degrade more slowly because their folded cores are protected from solvent (k3). For analytical forms, see Appendix A. -- physics.bio-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ThePrebioticEmergence.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The Prebiotic Emergence Of Biological Evolution
The origin of life must have been preceded by Darwin-like evolutionary dynamics that could propagate it. How did that adaptive dynamics arise?
Posted inAstrochemistry, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Interstellar, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Press Release
Possibilities For Methanogenic And Acetogenic Life In A Molecular Cloud
There are life forms in space and the ancestor of Earth life came from interstellar space according to models like panspermia.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Shedding Light On The Synthesis Of Sugars Before The Origin Of Life
Pentoses are essential carbohydrates in the metabolism of modern lifeforms, but their availability during early Earth is unclear since these molecules are unstable.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
ROP Signaling: Origin At Dawn Of Multicellular Plant Life
Plants regulate their development with a distinct group of molecular players. ROP proteins, a group of plant-specific proteins, are known to control plant tissue formation. Now, Hugh Mulvey and Liam […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Molecular Cooperation At The Threshold Of Life’s Emergence On Earth
How organisms develop from inanimate matter is one of the biggest questions in science. Although many possible explanations have been proposed, there are no definitive answers. That’s no surprise: these […]