[q-bio.PE] The origin of life is often framed primarily as a chemical problem, yet life s defining feature is evolution.
prebiotic chemistry
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
ReactionAtlas: Ab Origine Exploration Of Chemical Reaction Networks With Machine Learning
[cs.LG] Mapping a chemical reaction network, the graph of minima and transition states (TS) and the elementary reactions connecting them, is the natural language of chemistry, from catalysis to combustion […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Prebiotic Cationic Amino Acids Support Formation Of An Ancient Protein Fold
[biorxiv.org] The evolutionary basis for the selection of the standard proteinogenic amino acids remains elusive, particularly for the long cationic amino acids, lysine and arginine, which were likely scarce in […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Determining The “Biosignature Threshold” For Life Detection On Biotic, Abiotic, or Prebiotic Worlds.
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] The field of prebiotic chemistry has demonstrated that complex organic chemical systems that exhibit various life-like properties can be produced abiotically in the laboratory.
PCE3 Seminar: Directed evolution of RNA for self-replication
Edoardo Gianni Investigator Scientist MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology “Directed evolution of RNA for self-replication” Tuesday, Sept 15th 12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT More information & registration: https://www.prebioticchem.org/seminar-series-signup Edoardo Gianni […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Proto-Biosignatures and Planetary Geochemical Metabolism: A Thermodynamic Screening Model of Prebiotic Geochemical Organization
[Life (Basel)] Astrobiological observations usually return atmospheric, mineralogical, molecular, isotopic, or textural states rather than organisms.
Posted inAstrochemistry
Slow-electron-triggered Chemistry In Interstellar Methanol-water Ices
[Astronomy & Astrophysics] Water and, to a lesser extent, methanol are widespread in interstellar space as ices, where sustained exposure to ionizing radiation promotes the formation of complex compounds such […]
![Occam’s razor-based deconvolution result of the subset of signals associated with CnHmN parent and fragment species detected by the DFMS on 3 August 2015. The measured signals (measured) are given in arbitrary units (a. u.) with 30 % error margins. The different contributions of the chosen candidate molecules are colour-coded according to their molecular structure – in shades of red and purple for chain-based molecules and in shades of green and blue for cyclic molecules. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Nitrogen.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Nitrogen- And Nitrogen-oxygen-bearing Organic Molecules In Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: An Untargeted Investigation
[astro-ph.EP] Comets provide a unique window into the history of the Solar System as they carry some of the best-preserved material and make it available to in situ exploration.
![Graphical abstract -- [The Journal of Membrane Biology]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/From-Meteorites.png?resize=1200%2C712&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry
From Meteorites to Membrane Rafts: Ganglioside-Incorporating Prebiotic Vesicles and the Emergence of Membrane Domain Organization
[The Journal of Membrane Biology] Life requires membranes. But what were the first membranes made of, and how did they acquire the functional complexity of modern cells?
![Photographs of the mineral and inorganic substrates used in this study and the corresponding hybrid materials obtained. -- [Nature]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Synthesis.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Synthesis Of Mineral-organic Hybrid Materials Under Dynamic Prebiotic Conditions
[Nature] The increasing of molecular complexity must be understood as a planetary phenomenon where prebiotic chemistry and geological settings converge. In this scene, HCN chemistry may have played a crucial […]