Origins of life
The latest chemistry news and research on the origins of life, including amino acid synthesis, artificial cells, prebiotic chemistry and fossil chemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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ResearchLow-energy electrons in cosmic ice spring surprise by generating prebiotic molecules
Electrons play a far more significant role than photons in creating molecules that might have kick-started life on Earth
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ResearchSelf-assembling RNA strands ‘tamed the chemical chaos’ in prebiotic mixtures
New research explores mechanisms that boost RNA’s stability and resistance to hydrolysis
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NewsMetallic nodules sought by deep sea miners could be making oxygen in the depths
Water-splitting at the bottom of the Pacific holds intriguing implications for the origin of life on Earth – and further afield
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ResearchViolent volcanic lightning created the nitrogen compounds essential for the chemistry that led to life
First direct evidence of nitrates linked to eruptions discovered
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ResearchExplainer: What are water microdroplets and why are chemists talking about them?
Researchers are struggling to agree on the underlying reasons for accelerated rates and altered reaction mechanisms in water microdroplets. Here’s what we do know and where open questions lie…
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OpinionWill the assembly theory imbroglio do anything for evolution?
A claim to have explained selection has caused a stir, and it’s worth asking why, says Philip Ball
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ResearchAssembly theory puts chemistry centre stage to explain molecular complexity and life’s origins
Concept that attempts to join physics and biology via chemistry met with interest but also harsh criticism
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ResearchMolecular fossils solve evolutionary mystery
Fossilised protosteroids confirm Nobel-prizewinner’s decades-old prediction
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ResearchVolcanoes and meteorites may have delivered catalysts for life’s beginning
Iron-rich nanoparticles can catalyse conversion of CO2 to complex organic molecules
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FeatureThe messy chemistry that led to life
To understand how chemistry became biology, some chemists are eschewing simple reactions to study complex systems with many reactants and products. Rachel Brazil peers through the tangle
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ResearchMechanochemically accelerated sublimations used to separate chiral molecules
New technique combines ball milling with NMR to monitor sublimations in real time
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ResearchRNA building block uracil recovered from near-Earth asteroid Ryugu
Japanese mission returns pristine sample to bolster idea that prebiotic chemicals could have been delivered by meteorites
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ResearchZircon study prompts redox state rethink surrounding hydrothermal pools thought to harbour life’s first molecules
Research combining experiments with modelling suggests hydrothermal fluid was 30% as saline as sea water today and more oxidised than the surrounding mantle
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OpinionCracking codons
Understanding how chemistry links RNA triplets to the properties of amino acids
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OpinionFrom prebiotic soup to fine-grained RNA world
Theories about how life emerged need to be closely attuned to conditions on the early Earth
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OpinionIs there a natural order in which complex objects appear?
Assembly theory suggests there might be
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ResearchLife’s handedness could have arisen spontaneously on Earth
New insight into the origins of homochirality point to adaptation to energy sources as driver
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ResearchFreeze–thaw cycles could explain how ancient RNA replicated without enzymes
Discovery solves puzzle of RNA world hypothesis
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FeatureHow protocells bridge the gap from chemistry to biology
Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to recreate what the first cells were like, or to make their own versions
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OpinionNed Seeman’s legacy
A system based on DNA ‘tiles’ can embody Darwinian evolution, raising new possibilities for understanding natural selection and materials development