Conspectus Life is an exergonic chemical reaction. The same was true when the very first
cells emerged at life's origin. In order to live, all cells need a source of carbon, energy, and …

Conspectus Central to the quest of understanding the emergence of life is to uncover the
role of metals, particularly iron, in shaping prebiotic chemistry. Iron, as the most abundant of …

The origin of life, being one of the most fascinating questions in science, is increasingly
addressed by interdisciplinary research. In addition to developing plausible chemical …

Nucleic acid replication is a central process at the origin of life. On early Earth, replication is
challenged by the dilution of molecular building blocks and the difficulty of separating …

Amino acids are one of the most important building blocks of life. During the biochemical
process of translation, cells sequentially connect amino acids via amide bonds to synthesize …

Phosphorus is an essential building block of the most prominent biomolecules, such as
polynucleic acids, and has likely played that role since the beginning of life. Despite this …

Once atoms and molecules existed, a whole new dynamic entered the universe the moment
the first cells appeared. What is different about cells is that they require energy to maintain …

Serpentinizing hydrothermal vents are likely sites for the origin of metabolism because they
produce H2 as a source of electrons for CO2 reduction while depositing zero‐valent iron …

Leben ist ein Phänomen fern vom thermodynamischen Gleichgewicht, und auch seine
Entstehung wurde vermutlich entscheidend von den vor etwa 4 Milliarden Jahren …

Uncovering the origin of life on earth remains a grand challenge problem for the natural
sciences. Some headway has been made by reasoning about which biological …