origins of life

An RNA molecule that can make copies of a variety of RNAs adds new support to the RNA-world theory.

When life first emerged roughly 4 billion years ago, DNA may have been a much more malleable molecule.

Figuring out how these molecules form in the deep recesses of interstellar space might illuminate the origins of one of life’s distinguishing features.

The biologist David Deamer proposes that life evolved from a collection of interacting molecules, probably in a pool in the shadow of a volcano.

Perhaps chemistry played a more instrumental role in the origin of life than scientists thought.

Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target.

The polymath Christoph Adami is investigating life’s origins by reimagining life as self-perpetuating information strings.

Did the minerals on our planet arise in a predictable fashion, or did they result from chance events? The answers could eventually help scientists identify planets likely to harbor life.

Scientists hope that new genetic letters, created in the lab, will endow DNA with new powers.