The formose reaction is a plausible prebiotic chemistry, famed for its production of sugars. In this work, we demonstrate that the Cannizzaro process is the dominant process in the formose […]
origin of life
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
How Urea May Have Been The Gateway To Life
Researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Geneva have developed a new method that allows them to observe chemical reactions taking place in liquids at extremely high temporal resolution.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Discovery Of Novel Primitive Xeno Nucleic Acids As Alternative Genetic Polymers
The chemical origin of life on Earth is a puzzle that scientists have been trying to piece together for decades. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain how life came […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Clues About The Origin Of Complex Life
Thor, the legendary Norse god from the mythological city of Asgard, is not alone. According to groundbreaking research published in the journal Nature, we humans — along with eagles, starfish, […]
![Chiral molecules can spin polarize magnetic surfaces due to the CISS effect. A. Electron density of a molecule approaching a surface is asymmetrically distributed and a transient charge dipole is created. Charge transport through chiral molecules is spin selective due to the CISS effect and therefore a spin-dipole along the chiral molecular axis accompanies this charge dipole. This transient spin dipole can couple with surface spins due to the spin-exchange interaction (J ≡ [E(↑↑) − E(↑↓)]) and spin polarize the surface along the chiral molecular axis. B. Schematic of the setup used in crystallization experiments for CD detection. Homochiral crystals of RAO are formed on magnetite from their enantiopure solution. These crystals align the magnetic domains under them and interact with the surface spins due to magnetic dipolar coupling—a weaker but longer range coupling compared to the spin-exchange interaction C. A sequence showing the effect of chiral molecules on the magnetic domains. 1 Initially, there is no net magnetization of the magnetic domains. 2 As a layer of RAO is forming, the spins underneath the layer align due to the strong spin-exchange interaction. This is an avalanche magnetization process: molecules align the surface spins and the aligned regions attract more molecules and get larger. 3 The mono-layer grows and covers more surface due to the attraction of chiral molecules to the aligned regions and crystal seeds start forming. 4 Crystals get larger and couple with the magnetic domains due to magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, Edd. D. If an external magnetic field, −→B, is applied, the domains outside the area covered by crystals magnetize. Yet the crystals preserve the magnetization of the domains under them as long as the energy of the dipolar coupling is larger than the magnetic energy. -- physics.chem-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Chirality.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chirality-Induced Magnetization of Magnetite by an RNA Precursor
Life is homochiral and homochirality is a fundamental feature of living systems on Earth. While the exact mechanism that led to homochirality is still not fully understood, any realistic scenario […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Unlocking Early Earth Chemistry: Salt-induced Changes In Polyester Microdroplet Structure
Billions of years ago, Earth was an extremely hostile planet with active volcanoes, a harsh atmosphere, and certainly no life! This prebiotic Earth, however, was filled with a wide array […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Formation of Amino Acids and Carboxylic Acids in Weakly Reducing Planetary Atmospheres by Solar Energetic Particles from the Young Sun
Life most likely started during the Hadean Eon; however, the environmental conditions which contributed to the complexity of its chemistry are poorly known.
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Biophysical Interactions Underpin the Emergence of Information in the Genetic Code
The genetic code conceals a ‘code within the codons’, which hints at biophysical interactions between amino acids and their cognate nucleotides. Yet, research over decades has failed to corroborate systematic […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotic Synthesis of Aspartate Using Life’s Metabolism as a Guide
A protometabolic approach to the origins of life assumes that the conserved biochemistry of metabolism has direct continuity with prebiotic chemistry. One of the most important amino acids in modern […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Meteoritic And Volcanic Particles May Have Promoted Origin Of Life Reactions
Precursors of the molecules needed for the origin of life may have been generated by chemical reactions promoted by iron-rich particles from meteors or volcanic eruptions on Earth approximately 4.4 […]