How the first biomolecules could have been formed

International team shows that the first biologically relevant compounds could have originated on Earth's surface

14-Jun-2022 - The chemical precursors of present-day biomolecules could have formed not only in the deep sea at hydrothermal vents, but also in warm ponds on the Earth's surface. The chemical reactions that may have occurred in this “primordial soup” have now been reproduced in experiments by an international ...

Did Darwinian evolution begin before life itself?

How long-chain molecules are formed

24-Feb-2021 - Before life emerged on Earth, many physicochemical processes on our planet were highly chaotic. A plethora of small compounds, and polymers of varying lengths, made up of subunits (such as the bases found in DNA and RNA), were present in every conceivable combination. Before life-like chemical ...

Searching for the chemistry of life

Study shows possible new way to create DNA base pairs

06-Oct-2020 - In the search for the chemical origins of life, researchers have found a possible alternative path for the emergence of the characteristic DNA pattern: According to the experiments, the characteristic DNA base pairs can form by dry heating, without water or other solvents. The team led by Ivan ...

New biologically derived metal-organic framework mimics DNA

10-Apr-2019 - The field of materials science has become abuzz with "metal-organic frameworks" (MOFs), versatile compounds made up of metal ions connected to organic ligands, thus forming one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures. There is now an ever-growing list of applications for MOF, including separating ...

Evolution: Building blocks of life

18-May-2016 - Biological evolution was preceded by a long phase of chemical evolution during which precursors of biopolymers accumulated. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich chemists have discovered an efficient mechanism for the prebiotic synthesis of a vital class of such compounds. How did life ...

Scripps research team creates simple chemical system that mimics DNA

Findings offer possible clues about primordial world, and could eventually lead to exotic new materials

15-Jun-2009 - A team of Scripps Research scientists has created a new analog to DNA that assembles and disassembles itself without the need for enzymes. Because the new system comprises components that might reasonably be expected in a primordial world, the new chemical system could answer questions about how ...

Stable thanks to dynamics: DNA component resists UV radiation

25-Feb-2009 - Complex computer simulations have, for the first time, allowed scientists to examine in detail the processes that help to ensure the stability of DNA when exposed to UV light. The findings, achieved primarily in relation to DNA component 9H-adenine, have been published in the Journal of the ...

Iron Complex with a Killer Instinct

Iron-containing nucleoside analogs kill tumor cells - organometallic compounds as a new class of drugs

24-Mar-2004 - German researchers have successfully developed a new class of cytostatics that drive cancer cells to programmed suicide (apoptosis): iron-containing nucleoside analogs. With their discovery, the team led by Hans-Günther Schmalz (University of Cologne), Thomas Wieder (University of Tübingen), ...

Varian, Inc. Advances State-Of-The-Art in Thermal Melts for Studying DNA and Proteins

07-Sep-2001 - Palo Alto -September 4- Varian, Inc. (Nasdaq:VARI) announced today the Fluorescence BioMelt™ system, a turnkey, application-specific package for studying the thermal characteristics of DNA and proteins. Several unprecedented innovations in the system's sample handling and software significantly ...