All origin of life articles
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ResearchVolcanoes and meteorites may have delivered catalysts for life’s beginning
Iron-rich nanoparticles can catalyse conversion of CO2 to complex organic molecules
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ResearchUltraphosphates break decades-old anti-branching rule
Discovery of elusive branched phosphates’ unexpected stability means they could have played a role in prebiotic chemistry
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FeatureThe hellish chemistry of Venus’ atmosphere
The potential presence of phosphine on Venus is only the latest twist in the strange chemistry of our planetary neighbour, finds Clare Sansom
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ReviewAlien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space
A Nasa scientist’s search for unusual ecosystems – in the depths of our own oceans and much further afield
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ResearchCompelling evidence emerges for organic chemicals on the Red Planet
Discovery points to tantalising possibility that life might have existed on Mars billions of years ago
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ResearchCometary chloromethane detection scuppers use of chemical in hunt for ET
Organohalogen found simultaneously in the tail of a comet and the cloud surrounding a protostar
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ResearchCarbohydrates promoted in new prebiotic theory
Aldol reactions between interstellar materials can make DNA sugar
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ResearchNew ion trap method sets its sights on Mars
Technique that extends capabilities of existing instruments without physically modifying them could benefit origin-of-life studies on Mars
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OpinionHow game theory could explain complex life
Philip Ball asks if the building blocks of life benefit from cooperation
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Research‘Chemical search engine’ backs alternative route to life
Spontaneous peptide formation conditions found using automated system
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ResearchIron found in ancient rock is recycled from bacteria
Isotopic analysis suggests iron in banded rock formations can be traced back to ancient bacteria
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ResearchSpace-like conditions give rise to metabolic precursors
Study suggests that vitamin B3 and quinolinic acid could have originated in interstellar ices
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ResearchAncient RNA enzymes formed from freeze-thaw cycles
Temperature cycles help small pieces of RNA assemble into complex ribozymes
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OpinionSynthetic biology is bursting with life
Synthetic biology is shifting into high gear. To truly thrive, it needs chemists, says Mark Peplow
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News
Curiosity detect hints of complex organics
Mars rover picks up chlorinated hydrocarbons on the Red Planet, but are they native or did they hitch a ride?
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News
No methane on Mars, says Curiosity
Rover takes first sniffs of the Martian atmosphere and doesn’t find methane, a signal of possible life