Abiogenesis, Miller-Urey, RNA-world, metabolism-first, hydrothermal-vent origin, LUCA, astrobiology.
Origins Of Life
Abiogenesis
Origin of life from non-living matter. Must explain: compartment (protocell), metabolism (auto-sustaining reaction network), replication…
Miller-Urey experiment
1953 spark-discharge synthesis of amino acids from CH4 + NH3 + H2 + H2O. Showed prebiotic organic synthesis is plausible under…
RNA world hypothesis
Gilbert 1986: early life used RNA as both genetic material + catalyst (ribozymes). Supported by ribosomal peptidyl-transferase being…
Metabolism-first hypothesis
Self-sustaining chemical reaction networks (autocatalytic cycles) preceded genetic replication. Wächtershäuser's iron-sulfur world;…
Alkaline-hydrothermal-vent origin
Russell-Martin: pH gradient across FeS mineral boundaries at alkaline vents (Lost City) mimics chemiosmotic gradient, could drive protocell…
Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)
Inferred most-recent common ancestor of all extant cellular life (~3.5-4.0 Gya). Had translation, DNA, core metabolism; habitat debated…
Drake equation
N = R* · fp · ne · fl · fi · fc · L — estimated number of communicative civilisations in Milky Way. Each factor highly uncertain; framework…
Oparin-Haldane hypothesis
1920s proposal that primitive reducing atmosphere + UV + lightning formed organic molecules → 'primordial soup'. Framework for Miller-Urey…
Ribozyme as RNA-world relic
Modern catalytic RNAs (ribosomal peptidyl transferase, self-splicing introns, RNase P) preserve evidence for an earlier RNA-catalysed…
Protocell
Membrane-bound lipid vesicles that grow, divide, and encapsulate replicators. Fatty-acid bilayers can self-assemble; Szostak lab models…
Eigen replicator equation (prebiotic chemistry)
Eigen-Schuster replicator dynamics dx_i/dt = x_i(f_i - φ̄) on chemical species concentrations. Hypercycle solutions resolve…
Autocatalytic network (Kauffman)
Kauffman 1986: random graph of polymers + catalysed-by edges undergoes percolation transition once p > p_c; resulting RAF (reflexively…
Miller-Urey (1953)
Miller-Urey 1953 amino-acids from primordial-soup discharge; modern Cleaves 2008 + Bada 2013 reanalysis with reduced atmosphere.
RNA world (Gilbert 1986)
W Gilbert 1986 'The RNA World'; modern ribozyme + ribosome-as-ribozyme; basis of self-replicating-RNA hypothesis.
Hydrothermal vent (Russell 1997)
M Russell-W Martin 1997 alkaline-hydrothermal-vent; modern Sojo 2016 fuel-cell-style proton-gradient origin-of-life.
Metabolism first (Wachtershauser 1990)
G Wachtershauser 1990 iron-sulfur-world; thioester pre-LUCA metabolism; modern Sutherland 2015 'protocell to LUCA'.
Membrane first (Deamer 1998)
D Deamer 1998 fatty-acid + glycerol membranes self-assemble; modern Szostak 2013 protocell + RNA-template replication.
LUCA (Weiss 2016)
Weiss-Sousa-Mrnjavac-Neukirchen-Roettger-Nelson-Sojo-Martin 2016 phylogenomic-LUCA reconstruction; modern microbial common-ancestor…
Oparin-Haldane (1924)
A Oparin 1924 + J B S Haldane 1929 primordial-soup; modern modern foundational text + 2024 Sutherland prebiotic-RNA Powner 2009.
Miller-Urey detail (1953)
S Miller-H Urey 1953 prebiotic-amino-acid; modern modern foundational text + Bada 2008 reanalysis 2x more amino-acids than original.
Hydrothermal vent (Corliss-Baross 1981)
J Corliss-J Baross 1981 hot-vent-origin; modern modern foundational + Russell-Martin 2003 alkaline-vent + 2024 Lost-City-vent ecology.
RNA-first (Cech 1981 / Gilbert 1986)
T Cech 1981 (Nobel 1989) self-splicing-ribozyme + Gilbert 1986 RNA-world; modern modern foundational + 2009 Powner-Sutherland prebiotic…
Clay protocell (Bernal 1949)
J D Bernal 1949 + Cairns-Smith 1985 clay-mineral-template; modern modern foundational text + 2024 mineral-surface-catalysis + serpentinite.
LUCA (Woese 1990)
C Woese 1990 + Doolittle 2000 + Weiss 2016 LUCA hyper-thermophile; modern modern foundational text + 2024 LUCA-360-gene reconstruction.
Russell-Martin alkaline-hydrothermal-vent origin-of-life hypothesis
Russell-Martin alkaline-vent hypothesis (Russell-Hall 1997 *J Geol Soc Lond* 154, 377; Martin-Russell 2003 *Phil Trans R Soc B* 358, 59;…