RNA and proteins are the foundation of life and a natural starting point to explore its origins.
RNA
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Radiation, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Status Report
Exploring Molecular And Modular Insights Into Space Ionizing Radiation Effects Through Heterogeneous Gene Regulatory Networks
Space ionizing radiation is a major risk factor for astronauts, yet its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.
![a The energy diagrams above the polymers show the heights of the kinetic barriers for bond formation/dissociation in various regions. Dark- vertical bars are hydrogen bonds with high kinetic barrier, while lighter bars denote bonds with lower kinetic barriers. The balls-and-sticks diagram of polymer growth illustrates the fact that asymmetric cooperativity enables faster strand growth by lowering kinetic barrier for bond formation to the right. Asymmetric kinetic influence of a hydrogen bond on adjacent monomers (raising the barrier of the left bond and lowering it for the right) optimizes strand elongation as well as increases the duration of monomer bonding to the template strand to increase the probability of covalent bond formation. b With symmetric kinetic influence, hydrogen bonds that are away from the growth front (second bond from left) have lower kinetic barriers. Thus, monomers are drawn away from growth front, resulting in lower growth rate. This makes symmetric replicators evolutionarily inferior (From Ref [26], with permission) -- BMC Evol Biol via PubMed](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Prebiotic-Competition-And-Evolution.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotic Competition And Evolution In Self-replicating Polynucleotides Can Explain The Properties Of DNA/RNA In Modern Living Systems
Living systems, uniquely in nature, acquire, store and use information to maintain a highly ordered state while remaining far from thermal equilibrium. The molecular carriers of heritable information, RNA in […]
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 inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Origins Of The Building Blocks Of Life: A Review
How and where did life on Earth originate? To date, various environments have been proposed as plausible sites for the origin of life. However, discussions have focused on a limited […]
![Scheme of a geothermal valley between two snow-covered Hadean volcanoes. The fumaroles, thermal springs, apron pools, and terracettes are shown based on the reconstruction of the 3.48 Ga old Hadean geothermal system. On the right, various reactions of CO2 sequestration in a Hadean volcanic system are indicated, see Section 3.2.5 and Section 3.2.6. Inserts: (A) volcanic fumaroles, image from https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/fumaroles.htm, credit: USGS. (B) Schematic cross section of a pH-neutral hot spring, redrawn with modifications from [341,342]. (C) White Terraces of New Zealand as an example of volcanic terracettes (painted by Charles Bloomfield in 1884, two years before the terraces were buried under the waters of the lake Rotomahana following the eruption of Mt. Tarawera. Image credit: Museum of New Zeeland, https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/42254, accessed on 23 December 2024.). (D) Interconversion of nitriles, amides, and ammonium salts of organic acids, represented by their simplest species, in geothermal pools in the presence of inorganic catalysts; each of the nitrogen-containing compounds shown is considered as a substrate for further synthetic reactions. Formamide and other amides, as the least volatile components, may have sustained/buffered the whole system. -- Life via PubMed](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Origin-Of-The-RNA-World-In.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Moon, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Origin Of The RNA World In Cold Hadean Geothermal Fields Enriched In Zinc And Potassium – Abiogenesis As A Positive Fallout From The Moon-Forming Impact?
The ubiquitous, evolutionarily oldest RNAs and proteins exclusively use rather rare zinc as transition metal cofactor and potassium as alkali metal cofactor, which implies their abundance in the habitats of […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Structural Enzymology, Phylogenetics, Differentiation, and Symbolic Reflexivity at the Dawn of Biology
Translation of symbols in one chemical language into another defined genetics. Yet, the co-linearity of codons and amino acids is so commonplace an idea that few even ask how it […]
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, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced For The First Time
Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth – a key process in the origin […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
An Ancient Protein Breaks The Rules Of Molecular Handedness
A new study led by researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo, in collaboration with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute […]