Munich and Dresden based researchers create compelling scenario for the evolution of membraneless microdroplets as the origin of life. Where and how did life begin on Early Earth more than […]
origin of life
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Physicists Discover How Particles Self-assemble
A team of physicists has discovered how DNA molecules self-organize into adhesive patches between particles in response to assembly instructions. Its findings offer a “proof of concept” for an innovative […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Scientists Find Molecular Patterns That May Help Identify Extraterrestrial Life
Scientists have begun the search for extraterrestrial life in the Solar System in earnest, but such life may be subtly or profoundly different from Earth-life, and methods based on detecting […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
The Preconditions For Life On Earth Existed 3.5 Billion Years Ago
Microbial life already had the necessary conditions to exist on our planet 3.5 billion years ago. This was the conclusion reached by a research team after studying microscopic fluid inclusions […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Death Enables Complexity In Chemical Evolution
Simple systems can reproduce faster than complex ones. So, how can the complexity of life have arisen from simple chemical beginnings? Starting with a simple system of self-replicating fibres, chemists […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Origin of life – The Chicken-And-The-Egg Problem
A Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich team has shown that slight alterations in transfer-RNA molecules (tRNAs) allow them to self-assemble into a functional unit that can replicate information exponentially. tRNAs are […]
Posted inFossils & Paleontology
The Record Of Early Life Could Be Full Of "False Positives"
For most of Earth’s history, life was limited to the microscopic realm, with bacteria occupying nearly every possible niche. Life is generally thought to have evolved in some of the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Scientists Discover New Organic Compounds That Could Have Helped Form The First Cells
Chemists studying how life started often focus on how modern biopolymers like peptides and nucleic acids contributed, but modern biopolymers don’t form easily without help from living organisms. A possible […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Small Enzyme-mimicking Polymers May Have Helped Start Life
Most effort in origins of life research is focused on understanding the prebiotic formation of biological building blocks. However, it is possible early biological evolution relied on different chemical structures […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Study Reveals Continuous Pathway To Building Blocks Of Life
Researchers have long sought to understand the origins of life on Earth. A new study conducted by scientists at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), and […]