The widespread presence of ribonucleic acid (RNA) catalysts and cofactors in the Earth′ s
biosphere today suggests that RNA was the first biopolymer to support Darwinian evolution …

The present paper offers a review of recent (post-1980) work on amino acid adsorption and
thermal reactivity on oxide and sulfide minerals. This review is performed in the general …

Introduction to Geomicrobiology is a timely and comprehensive overview of how microbial
life has affected Earth's environment through time. It shows how the ubiquity of …

Crystalline surfaces of common rock-forming minerals are likely to have played several
important roles in life's geochemical origins. Transition metal sulfides and oxides promote a …

The facts of silicon (Si) in plant life are one thing; the concepts regarding Si in plant
physiology are another thing altogether. Most terrestrial plants grow in media dominated by …

Critical to the origin of life are the ingredients of life, of course, but also the physical and
chemical conditions in which prebiotic chemical reactions can take place. These factors …

Dr. Heinonen reviews and critically evaluates the scientific literature on the biological role of
inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) published from 1940 to the end of 1999. He describes and …

The Hadean Eon, encompassing Earth9s first 550 million years, was a time of significant
planetary evolution. Nevertheless, prebiotic Earth9s near-surface environment may have …

Mounting evidence indicates the presence of a near complete biological nitrogen cycle in
redox‐stratified oceans during the late Archean to early Proterozoic (c. 2.5–2.0 Ga). It has …

The adsorption of organic molecules onto the surfaces of inorganic solids has long been
considered a process relevant to the origin of life. We have determined the equilibrium …