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origins of life
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A New Step in Re-Creating First Life on Earth
An RNA molecule that can make copies of a variety of RNAs adds new support to the RNA-world theory.
Faster Evolution on a Warmer Earth
When life first emerged roughly 4 billion years ago, DNA may have been a much more malleable molecule.
Interstellar Find Adds Life to Old Debate
Figuring out how these molecules form in the deep recesses of interstellar space might illuminate the origins of one of life’s distinguishing features.
In Warm, Greasy Puddles, the Spark of Life?
The biologist David Deamer proposes that life evolved from a collection of interacting molecules, probably in a pool in the shadow of a volcano.
How to Build Life in a Pre-Darwinian World
Perhaps chemistry played a more instrumental role in the origin of life than scientists thought.
Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life
Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target.
The Information Theory of Life
The polymath Christoph Adami is investigating life’s origins by reimagining life as self-perpetuating information strings.
How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals
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.
New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet
Scientists hope that new genetic letters, created in the lab, will endow DNA with new powers.