scholarly journals The origin of life: the first self-replicating molecules were nucleotides

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Ohsaka
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Clay Minerals ◽  
The Self ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Simulated Environments ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Prebiotic Earth ◽  
Self Replication

Difficulties to synthesize RNA nucleotides from their subunits in modern labs under simulated environments leads us to propose a possible process for the synthesis by cross complimentary self-replication with help of clay minerals, which might be operated on prebiotic Earth. Clay minerals are known to be good catalysts and certainly existed on prebiotic Earth. The self-replication of RNA nucleotides (monomers) may be considered as the origin of potential self-replication of some extant RNA polymers, and also the reason for homochirality of RNA molecules.

scholarly journals The origin of life: the first self-replicating molecules were nucleotides

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Ohsaka
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Clay Minerals ◽  
The Self ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Simulated Environments ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Prebiotic Earth ◽  
Self Replication

Difficulties to synthesize RNA nucleotides from their subunits in modern labs under simulated environments leads us to propose a possible process for the synthesis by cross complimentary self-replication with help of clay minerals, which might be operated on prebiotic Earth. Clay minerals are known to be good catalysts and certainly existed on prebiotic Earth. The self-replication of RNA nucleotides (monomers) may be considered as the origin of potential self-replication of some extant RNA polymers, and also the reason for homochirality of RNA molecules.

A biointerface effect on the self-assembly of ribonucleic acids: a possible mechanism of RNA polymerisation in the self-replication cycle

Nanoscale ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 6691-6698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriyoshi Arai ◽  
Yusei Kobayashi ◽  
Kenji Yasuoka
Keyword(s):  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Replication Cycle ◽  
The Self ◽  
Primitive Earth ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Bulk System ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Self Replication

The self-assembly was found to be more favoured in a vesicle-cell membrane, rather than in the bulk system. The result will contribute to a better understanding of the origin of life on the primitive Earth.

scholarly journals The origin of life: Oligomerization of RNA nucleotides on prebiotic Earth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Ohsaka
Keyword(s):  
Activation Energy ◽  
Covalent Bonding ◽  
The Self ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Rna Oligomers ◽  
Molecular Information ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Prebiotic Earth ◽  
Self Replication ◽  
Ph Fluctuation

We propose a plausible oligomerization process of RNA nucleotides on prebiotic Earth. The process takes place at tideland and estuary where wet & dry cycle and pH fluctuation occur due to tide. The process proceeds with help of clay minerals that catalyze not only oligomerization but also cross complementary self-replication of RNA oligomers by lowering the activation energy of covalent bonding. The self-replication realizes transfer of molecular information and allows mutation and natural selection, essential steps of evolution of life.

How Did It All Begin?: The Self-Assembly of Organic Molecules and the Origin of Cellular Life

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 179-194
Author(s):  
David W. Deamer
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
The Self ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Cellular Life ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Origin Of Life

Movies are the myths of late-20th century western culture. Because of the power of films likeETto capture our imagination, we are more likely than past generations to accept the possibility that life exists elsewhere in our galaxy. Such a myth can be used to sketch the main themes of this chapter, which concern the origin of life on the Earth.

Clay minerals and the origin of life

1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 357-359
Author(s):  
Jiri Konta
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Clay Minerals ◽  
The Origin Of Life

scholarly journals Evidence for Phase Transitions in Replication Fidelity and Survival Probability at the Origin of Life

BioCosmos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-10
Author(s):  
Sy Garte
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Survival Probability ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Cellular Phenotype ◽  
Replication Fidelity ◽  
Chemical Complexity ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Self Replication ◽  
Transition Approach

Abstract Highly accurate self-replication of cellular phenotype is a requirement for biological evolution. I previously investigated the degree of self-replication fidelity needed in a viable, evolving population of living cells. Here I present a phase transition approach from non-living chemical complexity to evolving living creatures and illustrate the necessary non-continuity of whatever process led to the origin of evolution. A theoretical approach to the relationship between replication fidelity, survival probability and the capacity to grow and evolve is presented consistent with previous data from experimental simulations. The implications for the origin of life to include explanations for non-continuity are discussed.

scholarly journals A carbonate-rich lake solution to the phosphate problem of the origin of life

2019 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 883-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Toner ◽  
David C. Catling
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Environmental Constraints ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Prebiotic Syntheses ◽  
Prebiotic Earth ◽  
Low Solubility

Phosphate is central to the origin of life because it is a key component of nucleotides in genetic molecules, phospholipid cell membranes, and energy transfer molecules such as adenosine triphosphate. To incorporate phosphate into biomolecules, prebiotic experiments commonly use molar phosphate concentrations to overcome phosphate’s poor reactivity with organics in water. However, phosphate is generally limited to micromolar levels in the environment because it precipitates with calcium as low-solubility apatite minerals. This disparity between laboratory conditions and environmental constraints is an enigma known as “the phosphate problem.” Here we show that carbonate-rich lakes are a marked exception to phosphate-poor natural waters. In principle, modern carbonate-rich lakes could accumulate up to ∼0.1 molal phosphate under steady-state conditions of evaporation and stream inflow because calcium is sequestered into carbonate minerals. This prevents the loss of dissolved phosphate to apatite precipitation. Even higher phosphate concentrations (>1 molal) can form during evaporation in the absence of inflows. On the prebiotic Earth, carbonate-rich lakes were likely abundant and phosphate-rich relative to the present day because of the lack of microbial phosphate sinks and enhanced chemical weathering of phosphate minerals under relatively CO2-rich atmospheres. Furthermore, the prevailing CO2 conditions would have buffered phosphate-rich brines to moderate pH (pH 6.5 to 9). The accumulation of phosphate and other prebiotic reagents at concentration and pH levels relevant to experimental prebiotic syntheses of key biomolecules is a compelling reason to consider carbonate-rich lakes as plausible settings for the origin of life.

scholarly journals Getting Beyond the Toy Domain. Meditations on David Deamer’s “Assembling Life”

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
William Bains
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Assembling ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Worth Reading ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Volcanic Islands ◽  
Hydrothermal Fields ◽  
Solar Astronomy

David Deamer has written another book, Assembling Life, on the origin of life. It is unapologetically polemic, presenting Deamer’s view that life originated in fresh water hydrothermal fields on volcanic islands on early Earth, arguing that this provided a unique environment not just for organic chemistry but for the self-assembling structure that drive that chemistry and form the basis of structure in life. It is worth reading, it is an advance in the field, but is it convincing? I argue that the Origin of Life field as a whole is unconvincing, generating results in Toy Domains that cannot be scaled to any real world scenario. I suggest that, by analogy with the history of artificial intelligence and solar astronomy, we need much more scale, and fundamentally new ideas, to take the field forward.

Protective effect of clay minerals on adsorbed nucleic acid against UV radiation: possible role in the origin of life

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Scappini ◽  
F. Casadei ◽  
R. Zamboni ◽  
M. Franchi ◽  
E. Gallori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Protective Effect ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Clay Minerals ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Uv Photons

The effect of UV radiation on solutions of free and clay-adsorbed DNA has been investigated. It turns out that clay (montmorillonite/kaolinite) adsorbed nucleic acid undergoes less radiation damage than free nucleic acid. Our laboratory experiments have an astronomical counterpart in terms of solar irradiance on the Earth. An origin of life scenario is proposed where ubiquitous clay minerals lead the surface chemistry of the molecules relevant to the biological evolution and at the same time protect them from the deadly rainfall of UV photons.

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