Membraneless coacervate microdroplets have long been proposed as model protocells as they can grow, divide, and concentrate RNA by natural partitioning.
prebiotic
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE). XIV. Finding Terrestrial Protoplanets In The Galactic Neighborhood
The increased brightness temperature of young rocky protoplanets during their magma ocean epoch makes them potentially amenable to atmospheric characterization to distances from the solar system far greater than thermally […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Reactant Discovery with an Ab Initio Nanoreactor: Exploration of Astrophysical N-Heterocycle Precursors and Formation Pathways
The incorporation of nitrogen atoms into cyclic compounds is essential for terrestrial life; nitrogen-containing (N-)heterocycles make up DNA and RNA nucleobases, several amino acids, B vitamins, porphyrins, and other components […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Heat Flows Solubilize Apatite To Boost Phosphate Availability For Prebiotic Chemistry
Phosphorus is an essential building block of the most prominent biomolecules, such as polynucleic acids, and has likely played that role since the beginning of life. Despite this importance for […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Nanoparticulate Apatite and Greenalite In The Oldest, Well-preserved Hydrothermal Vent Precipitates
Paleoarchean jaspilites are used to track ancient ocean chemistry and photoautotrophy because they contain hematite interpreted to have formed following biological oxidation of vent-derived Fe(II) and seawater P-scavenging.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotic Gas Flow Environment Enables Isothermal Nucleic Acid Replication
Nucleic acid replication is a central process at the origin of life. On early Earth, replication is challenged by the dilution of molecular building blocks and the difficulty of separating […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Prebiotic Membrane Structures Mimic the Morphology of Alleged Early Traces of Life on Earth
Elucidating compositions of the first cell membranes requires experiments with molecules and chemical conditions representative of early Earth. The molecules used are described as ‘prebiotically plausible’, i.e., they could have […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Heat Flows Are The Secret To Order In Prebiotic Molecular Kitchen
Life is complicated. What is true for our everyday existence also holds for the many complex processes that take place inside cells. Proteins constantly have to be synthesized, cell walls […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Sulfur And The Origin Of Life
Many artists have tried to depict what Earth might have looked like billions of years ago, before life made its appearance. Many scenes trade snow-covered mountains for lava-gushing volcanoes and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Titan
Towards Prebiotic Chemistry On Titan: Impact Experiments On Organic Haze Particles
Impacts are critical to producing the aqueous environments necessary to stimulate prebiotic chemistry on Titan’s surface. Furthermore, organic hazes resting on the surface are a likely feedstock of biomolecules. In […]