How and where did life on Earth originate? To date, various environments have been
proposed as plausible sites for the origin of life. However, discussions have focused on a …

The origin of life is still one of humankind's great mysteries. At the transition between
nonliving and living matter, protocells, initially featureless aggregates of abiotic matter, gain …

The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life in our Solar System is currently guided by our
understanding of terrestrial biology and its associated biosignatures. The observed …

The origin of life is a fascinating, unresolved problem whose deciphering would have
important scientific, epistemological and social implications. Over time, philosophers and …

Sugars are essential molecules for all terrestrial biota working in many biological processes.
Ribose is particularly essential as a building block of RNA, which could have both stored …

Cell membranes are a key element of life because they keep the genetic material and
metabolic machinery together. All present cell membranes are made of phospholipids, yet …

We describe the history and features of the Ladder of Life Detection, a tool intended to guide
the design of investigations to detect microbial life within the practical constraints of robotic …

The search for traces of life is one of the principal objectives of Mars exploration. Central to
this objective is the concept of habitability, the set of conditions that allows the appearance …

Uncovers the Key Role Microbes Play in the Transformation of Oxidizable and Reducible
MineralsMany areas of geomicrobial processes are receiving serious attention from …

The chemical versatility of sulfur and its abundance in the prebiotic Earth as reduced sulfide
(H2S) implicate this molecule in the origin of life 3.8 billion years ago and also as a major …