Tag

Prebiotic Chemistry

All articles tagged with #prebiotic chemistry

science19 days ago•2 min saved

Ryugu's Dust Carries All Nucleobases, Hinting at Cosmic Origins of Life

Analysis of Ryugu samples from JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission finds all five nucleobases—uracil, adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—the DNA/RNA building blocks, suggesting primitive asteroids can form and preserve prebiotic molecules and potentially deliver them to Earth, though this does not imply life existed on Ryugu; similar organics were found in Bennu samples, underscoring the ubiquity of these building blocks in the solar system.

via Futurism|

#astrobiology #nucleobases #prebiotic-chemistry

science21 days ago•6 min saved

Asteroids Harbor All Five Nucleobases, Advancing Space Chemistry Clues to Life’s Origins

New high-sensitivity analyses of asteroid samples confirm all five nucleobases (A, C, G, T, U) in Ryugu, adding to prior Bennu detections and resolving earlier Ryugu results. The finding reinforces the idea that space-based chemistry can produce nucleotides and informs potential prebiotic pathways, though it does not imply life, and contamination concerns are addressed. The study also notes a correlation between purine/pyrimidine levels and ammonia across asteroids, offering clues about the reactions that could occur in space and feed theories on how Earth's life's building blocks arrived.

via Ars Technica|

#asteroids #nucleobases #origins-of-life

science22 days ago•41 min saved

DNA’s five letters detected on asteroid Ryugu, hinting at universal prebiotic chemistry

Analysis of asteroid Ryugu samples from JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission revealed a complete set of canonical nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil), suggesting carbonaceous asteroids can carry DNA/RNA building blocks and may contribute to prebiotic chemistry across the solar system; findings align with previous Bennu results and meteorites, though they do not indicate life on Ryugu.

via Yahoo|

#carbonaceous-asteroids #hayabusa2 #nucleobases

space23 days ago•69 min saved

Cosmic DNA: Five nucleobases found on asteroid Ryugu reshape views on life's origins

New analysis of asteroid Ryugu samples detected all five canonical nucleobases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil—showing DNA/RNA building blocks may be widespread in the solar system and could have seeded Earth’s prebiotic chemistry, with Bennu and meteorites providing supporting comparisons.

via Live Science|

#bennu #nucleobases #origin-of-life

science26 days ago•3 min saved

Ocean-floor nitrogen chemistry may have seeded life’s origins

New evidence from deep-sea rock cores near hydrothermal vents shows minerals can drive abiotic nitrogen reduction, producing ammonium and other nutrients that could fuel early life and help explain how a warmer, gas-rich early Earth maintained liquid water despite a fainter Sun.

via SciTechDaily|

#abiotic-nitrogen-reduction #early-earths-climate #hydrothermal-vents

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Origins Reimagined: Life May Have Begun in a Primordial Gel

Researchers propose that life began in prebiotic gels—soft, structured matrices on early Earth that fostered chemical evolution toward protocells, via either phase separation or proto-films, within a protective, biofilm-like environment that shielded and shared resources. This gel-first view broadens the search for alien life to gel-based structures and challenges the traditional cell-first narrative.

via Indian Defence Review|

#abiogenesis #biofilms #early-earth

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Life May Have Begun in Sticky Prebiotic Gels

A new paper argues that life may have started within surface-attached, jelly-like gels on rocks, which could trap and organize reactive molecules, shield delicate chemistry from UV and heat, and support the emergence of metabolism and polymers before membrane-bound cells.

via ScienceAlert|

#early-earth #origin-of-life #prebiotic-chemistry

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Bennu’s Amino Acids Point to Ice-Driven Origins of Life’s Building Blocks

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx samples from the 4.6-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu reveal amino acids, including glycine, can form in space and may arise in icy, radiation-exposed conditions in the early Solar System rather than only in liquid water; this suggests multiple pathways for the building blocks of life and shows Bennu’s isotopic signatures differ from the Murchison meteorite, indicating diverse origins for prebiotic molecules.

via Universe Today|

#amino-acids #bennu #glycine

astronomy2 months ago•49 min saved

JWST uncovers potential life's chemical ingredients in a dusty galaxy

Using the James Webb Space Telescope to study the dusty heart of ultra-luminous galaxy IRAS 07251-0248, scientists detected a rich chemistry of small organic molecules (like benzene, methane, acetylene, diacetylene, triacetylene, and methyl radicals) and carbon-based dust with water ice. The abundances exceed current models, implying a persistent carbon source and possible cosmic-ray processing that releases these organics, which could act as precursors to more complex biomolecules and life, offering a window into space-based prebiotic chemistry and the galaxy’s role in forming life's building blocks.

via Space|

#astronomy #building-blocks-of-life #iras-07251-0248

science2 months ago•4 min saved

Ice-Formed Hydrogen Cyanide Could Jump-Start Life Across the Solar System

Researchers modeling frozen hydrogen cyanide find it converts to hydrogen isocyanide, enabling two pathways to prebiotic molecules like amino acids and nucleobases, even in extreme cold. The work suggests cyanide-based chemistry could have seeded life on early Earth and may occur on icy worlds such as Titan or in other planetary atmospheres across the solar system.

via Indian Defence Review|

#astrochemistry #hydrogen-cyanide #icy-chemistry

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Frozen Cyanide May Have Sparked Life's Beginnings

New computer simulations suggest solid hydrogen cyanide crystals in cold environments have reactive surfaces that can convert HCN into hydrogen isocyanide, enabling formation of complex prebiotic molecules and potentially driving the origin of life; researchers plan lab tests to verify these surface-catalyzed reactions.

via SciTechDaily|

#cold-environments #crystal-surfaces #hydrogen-cyanide

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Frozen HCN Crystals Could Have Fueled Life’s Origins

A study in ACS Central Science shows that frozen hydrogen cyanide forms needle-like crystal surfaces that generate strong electric fields and catalyze reactions, including HCN→HNC isomerization, at cryogenic temperatures. This surface catalysis could drive early prebiotic chemistry and help explain HNC’s abundance in cold space environments like Titan and comets, suggesting solid HCN crystals may have acted as tiny reaction engines in the origins of life.

via Indian Defence Review|

#astrochemistry #crystal-surfaces #hydrogen-cyanide

science5 months ago•7 min saved

Titan's Icy Surface Breaks Chemistry Rules, Offering Clues to Life's Origins

Scientists discovered that on Saturn's moon Titan, polar and nonpolar substances like hydrogen cyanide, methane, and ethane can form stable co-crystals under freezing conditions, challenging basic chemical rules and providing new insights into prebiotic chemistry and the potential origins of life in extreme environments.

via SciTechDaily|

#chemistry #hydrogen-cyanide #nasa

science7 months ago•4 min saved

New Study Supports 'Thioester World' Theory in Origin of Life

Scientists have discovered a water-friendly chemical reaction that links RNA and amino acids under mild conditions, providing a plausible pathway for the formation of the first proteins on early Earth and bridging the gap between metabolism, genetic information, and protein building.

via Earth.com|

#amino-acids #origin-of-life #prebiotic-chemistry

science7 months ago•47 min saved

New Insights into the Origin of Life and RNA's Role in Protein Formation

The article discusses a novel chemical method for non-enzymatic RNA aminoacylation and peptidyl-RNA synthesis in water, using biological thioesters to selectively attach amino acids to RNA, shedding light on potential pathways for the origin of protein synthesis and the interplay between nucleic acids and proteins in early life.

via Nature|

#peptidyl-rna-synthesis #prebiotic-chemistry #rna-aminoacylation