The general notion of an “RNA world” is that, in the early development of life on the Earth,
genetic continuity was assured by the replication of RNA, and RNA molecules were the chief …

The chemistry of abiotic nucleotide synthesis of RNA and DNA in the context of their
prebiotic origins on early earth is a continuing challenge. How did (or how can) the …

Theories about the origin of life require chemical pathways that allow formation of life's key
building blocks under prebiotically plausible conditions. Complex molecules like RNA must …

Amide bond formation is one of the most important reactions in both chemistry and biology,,–
, but there is currently no chemical method of achieving α-peptide ligation in water that …

Living in an oxygen atmosphere demands an ability to thrive in the presence of reactive
oxygen species (ROS). Aerobic organisms have successfully found solutions to the oxidative …

The nucleoside inosine plays an important role in purine biosynthesis, gene translation, and
modulation of the fate of RNAs. The editing of adenosine to inosine is a widespread post …

The molecules of life were created by a continuous physicochemical process on an early
Earth. In this hadean environment, chemical transformations were driven by fluctuations of …

This Perspective focuses on RNA in biological and nonbiological compartments resulting
from liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), with an emphasis on origins of life. In extant …

The RNA World is one of the most widely accepted hypotheses explaining the origin of the
genetic system used by all organisms today. It proposes that the tripartite system of DNA …

Metabolic theories for the origin of life posit that inorganic catalysts enabled self‐organized
chemical precursors to the pathways of metabolism, including those that make genetic …