Modern cells are complex chemical entities with cytoskeletons, finely regulated internal and external molecules, and genetic material that determines nearly every aspect of their functioning. This complexity allows cells to […]
protocell
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report
Entropy-Driven Amino Acid-Based Coacervates with Enzyme-Free Metabolism and Prebiotic Robustness
Protocells capable of nonenzymatic metabolism and environmental adaptation are essential models for understanding the emergence of cellular life.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
First Growth, Then Information: The Path To Genetic Heredity In Protocells
Most theoretical work on the origin of heredity has focused on how genetic information can be maintained without mutational degradation in the absence of error-proofing systems. A simple and parsimonious […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Mineral-guided Molecular Enrichment: An Interfacial Driving Force For Protocell Emergence On Early Earth
The emergence of protocells from a dilute prebiotic environment is a fundamental challenge in origins-of-life research which requires the simultaneous overcoming of molecular dilution, the establishment of metabolic cycles and […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Hybrid Iron/Green-Rust-Urea Model for Prebiotic Chemistry: A Synthesis of Testable Pathways for Planetary Astrobiology
We propose a quantitative, testable framework for abiogenesis that links submarine alkaline vents, which supply H2, ΔpH, and Fe/Fe–S catalysis, to subaerial hot-spring fields that provide wet–dry concentration and UV-driven […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Peptides At Vesicle And Mineral Prebiotic Interfaces
The origin of life likely involved a complex interplay between organic molecules and mineral surfaces, yet the molecular details of these interactions remain poorly understood.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Evolution Associated With The Membrane-takeover At An Early Stage Of Life
Modern cell membranes are primarily composed of phospholipids, while primitive cell membranes in the beginning of life are believed to have formed from simpler lipids (such as fatty acids) synthesized […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Versatility Of Lactic Acid In The Origin Of Membraneless Protocells At The Origins Of Life
Lactic acid is not only a major byproduct of primitive synthetic processes such as spark discharge or UV irradiation, it also is a significant player in modern biology.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Protocell Formation On Micrometeorites
We report on the formation of membranous protocells by self-assembly of lipids on micrometeorites, the extraterrestrial particles that have been continuously reaching the surface of the Earth ever since its […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Life’s Building Blocks Took Shape On Early Earth: The Limits of Membraneless Polyester Protocell Formation
One leading theory on the origins of life on Earth proposes that simple chemical molecules gradually became more complex, ultimately forming protocells—primitive, non-living structures that were precursors of modern cells.