How new species emerge in nature is still incompletely understood and difficult to study
directly. Self-replicating molecules provide a simple model that allows us to capture the …

In this review we discuss systems of self-replicating molecules in the context of the origin of
life and the synthesis of de novo life. One of the important aspects of life is the ability to …

The process by which chemistry can give rise to biology remains one of the biggest
mysteries in contemporary science. The de novo synthesis and origin of life both require the …

Unravelling how the complexity of living systems can (have) emerge (d) from simple
chemical reactions is one of the grand challenges in contemporary science. Evolving …

Life is that which evolves. Living systems are the products of evolutionary processes and
can undergo further evolution. A crucial question for the origin of life is the following: when …

Our knowledge regarding the early steps in the formation of evolvable life and what
constitutes the minimal molecular basis of life remains far from complete. The recent …

In Darwinian evolution, species that are better adapted to their environment win the
competition for common resources from less well-adapted competitors. Thus, in such …

A key goal of chemistry is to develop synthetic systems that mimic biology, such as self-
assembling, self-replicating models of minimal life forms. Oscillations are often observed in …

Conspectus As the remit of chemistry expands beyond molecules to systems, new synthetic
targets appear on the horizon. Among these, life represents perhaps the ultimate synthetic …

Simple replicating molecules are likely to have played a critical role in the origin of life.
Recent experiments show that non-enzymatic replication is conceivable in a wide range of …