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Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
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2
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McKay AJ, Roth NX. Organic Matter in Cometary Environments. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:37. [PMID: 33430031 PMCID: PMC7826631 DOI: 10.3390/life11010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Comets contain primitive material leftover from the formation of the Solar System, making studies of their composition important for understanding the formation of volatile material in the early Solar System. This includes organic molecules, which, for the purpose of this review, we define as compounds with C-H and/or C-C bonds. In this review, we discuss the history and recent breakthroughs of the study of organic matter in comets, from simple organic molecules and photodissociation fragments to large macromolecular structures. We summarize results both from Earth-based studies as well as spacecraft missions to comets, highlighted by the Rosetta mission, which orbited comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for two years, providing unprecedented insights into the nature of comets. We conclude with future prospects for the study of organic matter in comets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. McKay
- Department of Physics, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
- Planetary Systems Laboratory Code 693, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Nathan X. Roth
- Astrochemistry Laboratory Code 691, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
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3
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Chemical Basis of Biological Homochirality during the Abiotic Evolution Stages on Earth. Symmetry (Basel) 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/sym11060814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking (SMSB), a phenomenon leading to non-equilibrium stationary states (NESS) that exhibits biases away from the racemic composition is discussed here in the framework of dissipative reaction networks. Such networks may lead to a metastable racemic non-equilibrium stationary state that transforms into one of two degenerate but stable enantiomeric NESSs. In such a bifurcation scenario, the type of the reaction network, as well the boundary conditions, are similar to those characterizing the currently accepted stages of emergence of replicators and autocatalytic systems. Simple asymmetric inductions by physical chiral forces during previous stages of chemical evolution, for example in astrophysical scenarios, must involve unavoidable racemization processes during the time scales associated with the different stages of chemical evolution. However, residual enantiomeric excesses of such asymmetric inductions suffice to drive the SMSB stochastic distribution of chiral signs into a deterministic distribution. According to these features, we propose that a basic model of the chiral machinery of proto-life would emerge during the formation of proto-cell systems by the convergence of the former enantioselective scenarios.
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Garcia AD, Meinert C, Sugahara H, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. The Astrophysical Formation of Asymmetric Molecules and the Emergence of a Chiral Bias. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E29. [PMID: 30884807 PMCID: PMC6463258 DOI: 10.3390/life9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomolecular homochirality in living organisms has been investigated for decades, but its origin remains poorly understood. It has been shown that circular polarized light (CPL) and other energy sources are capable of inducing small enantiomeric excesses (ees) in some primary biomolecules, such as amino acids or sugars. Since the first findings of amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, a scenario in which essential chiral biomolecules originate in space and are delivered by celestial bodies has arisen. Numerous studies have thus focused on their detection, identification, and enantiomeric excess calculations in extraterrestrial matrices. In this review we summarize the discoveries in amino acids, sugars, and organophosphorus compounds in meteorites, comets, and laboratory-simulated interstellar ices. Based on available analytical data, we also discuss their interactions with CPL in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions, their abiotic chiral or achiral synthesis, and their enantiomeric distribution. Without doubt, further laboratory investigations and upcoming space missions are required to shed more light on our potential extraterrestrial molecular origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency⁻Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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5
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Deamer D. The Role of Lipid Membranes in Life's Origin. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:life7010005. [PMID: 28106741 PMCID: PMC5370405 DOI: 10.3390/life7010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
At some point in early evolution, life became cellular. Assuming that this step was required for the origin of life, there would necessarily be a pre-existing source of amphihilic compounds capable of assembling into membranous compartments. It is possible to make informed guesses about the properties of such compounds and the conditions most conducive to their self-assembly into boundary structures. The membranes were likely to incorporate mixtures of hydrocarbon derivatives between 10 and 20 carbons in length with carboxylate or hydroxyl head groups. Such compounds can be synthesized by chemical reactions and small amounts were almost certainly present in the prebiotic environment. Membrane assembly occurs most readily in low ionic strength solutions with minimal content of salt and divalent cations, which suggests that cellular life began in fresh water pools associated with volcanic islands rather than submarine hydrothermal vents.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Deamer
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
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Ikehara K. Evolutionary Steps in the Emergence of Life Deduced from the Bottom-Up Approach and GADV Hypothesis (Top-Down Approach). Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6010006. [PMID: 26821048 PMCID: PMC4810237 DOI: 10.3390/life6010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2015] [Revised: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is no doubt quite difficult to solve the riddle of the origin of life. So, firstly, I would like to point out the kinds of obstacles there are in solving this riddle and how we should tackle these difficult problems, reviewing the studies that have been conducted so far. After that, I will propose that the consecutive evolutionary steps in a timeline can be rationally deduced by using a common event as a juncture, which is obtained by two counter-directional approaches: one is the bottom-up approach through which many researchers have studied the origin of life, and the other is the top-down approach, through which I established the [GADV]-protein world hypothesis or GADV hypothesis on the origin of life starting from a study on the formation of entirely new genes in extant microorganisms. Last, I will describe the probable evolutionary process from the formation of Earth to the emergence of life, which was deduced by using a common event-the establishment of the first genetic code encoding [GADV]-amino acids-as a juncture for the results obtained from the two approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Ikehara
- G & L Kyosei Institute, Keihannna Labo-401, Hikaridai 1-7, Seika-cho, Sorakugun, Kyoto 619-0237, Japan.
- International Institute for Advanced Studies of Japan, Kizugawadai 9-3, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0225, Japan.
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7
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Goesmann F, Rosenbauer H, Bredehoft JH, Cabane M, Ehrenfreund P, Gautier T, Giri C, Kruger H, Le Roy L, MacDermott AJ, McKenna-Lawlor S, Meierhenrich UJ, Caro GMM, Raulin F, Roll R, Steele A, Steininger H, Sternberg R, Szopa C, Thiemann W, Ulamec S. Organic compounds on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko revealed by COSAC mass spectrometry. Science 2015; 349:aab0689. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aab0689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 326] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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8
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Maurel MC. From neontsto filiontsand their progenies... BIO WEB OF CONFERENCES 2015. [DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20150400014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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9
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Osman OI. Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Pyrolysis Products of Iminodiacetonitrile, (N≡CCH2)2NH. J Phys Chem A 2014; 118:10934-43. [DOI: 10.1021/jp507397x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Osman I. Osman
- Chemistry Department, Faculty
of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Chemistry Department, Faculty
of Science, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box
321, Khartoum 11111, Sudan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular
Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, United Kingdom
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10
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Balucani N. Elementary reactions of N atoms with hydrocarbons: first steps towards the formation of prebiotic N-containing molecules in planetary atmospheres. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5473-83. [PMID: 22705670 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35113g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Balucani
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
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11
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Balucani N. Elementary reactions and their role in gas-phase prebiotic chemistry. Int J Mol Sci 2009; 10:2304-2335. [PMID: 19564951 PMCID: PMC2695279 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10052304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2009] [Revised: 05/13/2009] [Accepted: 05/15/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of complex organic molecules in a reactor filled with gaseous mixtures possibly reproducing the primitive terrestrial atmosphere and ocean demonstrated more than 50 years ago that inorganic synthesis of prebiotic molecules is possible, provided that some form of energy is provided to the system. After that groundbreaking experiment, gas-phase prebiotic molecules have been observed in a wide variety of extraterrestrial objects (including interstellar clouds, comets and planetary atmospheres) where the physical conditions vary widely. A thorough characterization of the chemical evolution of those objects relies on a multi-disciplinary approach: 1) observations allow us to identify the molecules and their number densities as they are nowadays; 2) the chemistry which lies behind their formation starting from atoms and simple molecules is accounted for by complex reaction networks; 3) for a realistic modeling of such networks, a number of experimental parameters are needed and, therefore, the relevant molecular processes should be fully characterized in laboratory experiments. A survey of the available literature reveals, however, that much information is still lacking if it is true that only a small percentage of the elementary reactions considered in the models have been characterized in laboratory experiments. New experimental approaches to characterize the relevant elementary reactions in laboratory are presented and the implications of the results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Balucani
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy; E-Mail:
; Tel. +39-075-585-5513; Fax: +39-075-585-5606
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12
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Ard S, Garrett W, Compton R, Adamowicz L, Stepanian S. Rotational states of dipole-bound anions of hydrogen cyanide. Chem Phys Lett 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2009.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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13
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Abstract
Cells somehow evolved from primordial chemistry and their emergence depended on the co-evolution of the cytoplasm, a genetic system and the cell membrane. It is widely believed that the cytoplasm evolved inside a primordial lipid vesicle, but here I argue that the earliest cytoplasm could have co-evolved to high complexity outside a vesicle on the membrane surface. An invagination of the membrane, aided by an early cytoskeletal system, may have formed the first cells--initially within primordial vesicles.
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14
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Simonoff M, Sergeant C, Poulain S, Pravikoff MS. Microorganisms and migration of radionuclides in environment. CR CHIM 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crci.2007.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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15
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Bernstein M. Prebiotic materials from on and off the early Earth. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2006; 361:1689-700; discussion 1700-2. [PMID: 17008210 PMCID: PMC1664678 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the greatest puzzles of all time is how did life arise? It has been universally presumed that life arose in a soup rich in carbon compounds, but from where did these organic molecules come? In this article, I will review proposed terrestrial sources of prebiotic organic molecules, such as Miller-Urey synthesis (including how they would depend on the oxidation state of the atmosphere) and hydrothermal vents and also input from space. While the former is perhaps better known and more commonly taught in school, we now know that comet and asteroid dust deliver tons of organics to the Earth every day, therefore this flux of reduced carbon from space probably also played a role in making the Earth habitable. We will compare and contrast the types and abundances of organics from on and off the Earth given standard assumptions. Perhaps each process provided specific compounds (amino acids, sugars, amphiphiles) that were directly related to the origin or early evolution of life. In any case, whether planetary, nebular or interstellar, we will consider how one might attempt to distinguish between abiotic organic molecules from actual signs of life as part of a robotic search for life in the Solar System.
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16
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Guennoun Z, Piétri N, Couturier-Tamburelli I, Aycard JP. UV Photolysis of C4N2 in Water Ices: New Possible Route of Synthesis of Ammonium Bicarbonate and Ammonium Formate. J Phys Chem A 2006; 110:7738-43. [PMID: 16774222 DOI: 10.1021/jp057381t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory experiments involving ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of dicyanoacetylene (C(4)N(2)) trapped in water ice at 10 K have been conducted and monitored by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). By the support of isotopic experiments and theoretical calculations, the irradiation of a DCA/H(2)O ice mixture at lambda > 230 nm has been found to be a possible source of NH(4)(+)HCO(3)(-) (ammonium bicarbonate) and NH(4)(+)HCOO(-) (ammonium formate). These latter compounds can arise from a proton-transfer reaction between H(2)O and the CN radical, which is issued from photolyzed C(4)N(2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohra Guennoun
- UMR CNRS 6633, Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires, Equipe de Spectrométries et Dynamique Moléculaires, Université de Provence, Case 252, Centre de St-Jérôme, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France
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17
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Abstract
We review the nature of the widespread organic material present in the Milky Way Galaxy and in the Solar System. Attention is given to the links between these environments and between primitive Solar System objects and the early Earth, indicating the preservation of organic material as an interstellar cloud collapsed to form the Solar System and as the Earth accreted such material from asteroids, comets and interplanetary dust particles. In the interstellar medium of the Milky Way Galaxy more than 100 molecular species, the bulk of them organic, have been securely identified, primarily through spectroscopy at the highest radio frequencies. There is considerable evidence for significantly heavier organic molecules, particularly polycyclic aromatics, although precise identification of individual species has not yet been obtained. The so-called diffuse interstellar bands are probably important in this context. The low temperature kinetics in interstellar clouds leads to very large isotopic fractionation, particularly for hydrogen, and this signature is present in organic components preserved in carbonaceous chondritic meteorites. Outer belt asteroids are the probable parent bodies of the carbonaceous chondrites, which may contain as much as 5% organic material, including a rich variety of amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, and other species of potential prebiotic interest. Richer in volatiles and hence less thermally processed are the comets, whose organic matter is abundant and poorly characterized. Cometary volatiles, observed after sublimation into the coma, include many species also present in the interstellar medium. There is evidence that most of the Earth's volatiles may have been supplied by a 'late' bombardment of comets and carbonaceous meteorites, scattered into the inner Solar System following the formation of the giant planets. How much in the way of intact organic molecules of potential prebiotic interest survived delivery to the Earth has become an increasingly debated topic over the last several years. The principal source for such intact organics was probably accretion of interplanetary dust particles of cometary origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Irvine
- Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA
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18
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Macia E, Hernandez MV, Oro J. Primary sources of phosphorus and phosphates in chemical evolution. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 1997; 27:459-80. [PMID: 11536836 DOI: 10.1023/a:1006523226472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In this work we consider the role of phosphorus in chemical evolution from an interdisciplinary approach. First we briefly review the presence of this element in different cosmic sites, such as massive stellar cores, circumstellar and interstellar clouds, meteorites, lunar and Martian samples, interplanetary dust particles, cometary dust and planetary atmospheres. Thus we illustrate the fact that phosphorus seems to be, at the same time, scarce and ubiquitous in the solar system. Afterwards, by comparing the phosphorus content of our planet's main reservoirs with the amount of cometary and meteoritic matter captured by the primitive Earth, we conclude that comets may have provided a primary source for phosphorus compounds of prebiotic interest. Finally, we make a number of proposals aimed to gain observational supporting evidence to the above conclusion and other suggestions made in the article.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Macia
- Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
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20
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Basiuk VA, Navarro-Gonzalez R. Dust in the Universe: implications for terrestrial prebiotic chemistry. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 1995; 25:457-93. [PMID: 11536699 DOI: 10.1007/bf01581996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
In the present review we analyze the available literature on the distribution of dust in the Universe, methods of its observation and determination of the chemical composition, and the roles for terrestrial prebiotic chemistry. The most plausible natural sources of dust on the Earth in the prebiotic era are sedimentation of interplanetary dust, meteoritic and cometary impacts, volcanic eruptions, and soil microparticulates; the interplanetary medium being among the most powerful supplier of the dust matter. Two fundamental roles of dust particles for the origins of life are considered: (1) catalytic formation of prebiotic compounds; and (2) delivery of organic matter to the Earth by space dust particles. Due to the fact that there is only approximate information on the chemical composition and properties of interstellar, circumstellar, and major part of interplanetary dust, even the simulating experiments are difficult to perform. Until these gaps are filled, it seems reasonable to focus efforts of the scientists dealing with dust-driven catalytic formation of prebiotically important compounds on the volcanic and meteoritic/cometary impact environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Basiuk
- Laboratorio de Química de Plasmas y Estudios Planetarios, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
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21
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Oró J, Mills T, Lazcano A. Comets and life in the Universe. ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE COMMITTEE ON SPACE RESEARCH (COSPAR) 1995; 15:81-90. [PMID: 11539264 DOI: 10.1016/s0273-1177(99)80067-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The notion that comets supplied the primitive Earth with the requisite chemical species for the process of chemical evolution, which is widely held to have led to the origin of life on Earth, has now gained considerable intellectual momentum since its first formulation in 1961. In fact, in the fall of 1991, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire hosted a well attended scientific meeting devoted solely to the discussion of this topic, entitled Comets and the Origin and Evolution of Life [see Special Issue of Origins of Life, P.J. Thomas (ed), vol. 21(5-6)]. As a result of the above meeting, the recently completed COSPAR/World Space Congress Symposium on Extraterrestrial Organic Chemistry and the Origins of Life, and numerous independent reports, the role of comets in the Earth's biogenesis has been thoroughly addressed in the literature. At this time, in light of a few recent findings, we present here a concise review of this topic together with a brief discussion of the possible role of cometary material in the origin of life elsewhere in the Universe.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Oró
- Department of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences, The University of Houston, TX 77204, USA
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22
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Horneck G. Exobiology, the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life within the context of cosmic evolution: a review. PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE 1995; 43:189-217. [PMID: 11538433 DOI: 10.1016/0032-0633(94)00190-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The primary goal of exobiological research is to reach a better understanding of the processes leading to the origin, evolution and distribution of life on Earth or elsewhere in the universe. In this endeavour, scientists from a wide variety of disciplines are involved, such as astronomy, planetary research, organic chemistry, palaeontology and the various subdisciplines of biology including microbial ecology and molecular biology. Space technology plays an important part by offering the opportunity for exploring our solar system, for collecting extraterrestrial samples, and for utilizing the peculiar environment of space as a tool. Exobiological activities include comparison of the overall pattern of chemical evolution of potential precursors of life, in the interstellar medium, and on the planets and small bodies of our solar system; tracing the history of life on Earth back to its roots; deciphering the environments of the planets in our solar system and of their satellites, throughout their history, with regard to their habitability; searching for other planetary systems in our Galaxy and for signals of extraterrestrial civilizations; testing the impact of space environment on survivability of resistant life forms. This evolutionary approach towards understanding the phenomenon of life in the context of cosmic evolution may eventually contribute to a better understanding of the processes regulating the interactions of life with its environment on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Horneck
- Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin, Köln, Germany
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