The origin of life entails a continuum from simple prebiotic chemistry to cells with genes and
molecular machines. Using life as a guide to this continuum, we consider how selection …

Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin
of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the …

ATP is universally conserved as the principal energy currency in cells, driving metabolism
through phosphorylation and condensation reactions. Such deep conservation suggests that …

Hydrogen (H2) is a geological source of reducing electrons that is thought to have powered
the metabolism of the last universal common ancestor to all extant life, and that is still …

Coenzymes are involved in≥ 30% of enzymatic reactions and likely predate enzymes,
going back to prebiotic chemistry. However, they are considered poor organocatalysts, and …

Autotrophic theories for the origin of metabolism posit that the first cells satisfied their carbon
needs from CO2 and were chemolithoautotrophs that obtained their energy and electrons …

The demonstration by Ivan Barnes et al. that the serpentinization of fresh Alpine-type
ultramafic rocks results in the exhalation of hot alkaline fluids is foundational to the …

The origin of the genetic code is an abiding mystery in biology. Hints of a 'code within the
codons' suggest biophysical interactions, but these patterns have resisted interpretation …

Complex reaction mixtures, like those postulated on early Earth, present an analytical
challenge because of the number of components, their similarity, and vastly different …

The universal core of metabolism could have emerged from thermodynamically favoured
prebiotic pathways at the origin of life. Starting with H2 and CO2, the synthesis of amino …