Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Flash heating on the early Earth.

J R Lyons1, A R Vasavada

  • 1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA.

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
|May 5, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Water and Chlorine in the Martian Subsurface Along the Traverse of NASA's Curiosity Rover: 1. DAN Measurement Profiles Along the Traverse.

Journal of geophysical research. Planets·2023
Same author

Brine-driven destruction of clay minerals in Gale crater, Mars.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2021
Same author

Evidence for a Diagenetic Origin of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Mars: Summary and Synthesis of <i>Curiosity</i>'s Exploration Campaign.

Journal of geophysical research. Planets·2021
Same author

Synergistic Ground and Orbital Observations of Iron Oxides on Mt. Sharp and Vera Rubin Ridge.

Journal of geophysical research. Planets·2020
Same author

An analytical formulation of isotope fractionation due to self-shielding.

Geochimica et cosmochimica acta·2020
Same author

Effects of the MY34/2018 Global Dust Storm as Measured by MSL REMS in Gale Crater.

Journal of geophysical research. Planets·2019
Same journal

Decorated Vesicles as Prebiont Systems (a Hypothesis).

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Enhancement of Prebiotic Peptide Formation in Cyclic Environments.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Sequential Amplification of Amino Acid Enantiomeric Excess by Conglomerate and Racemic Compound: Plausible Prebiotic Route Towards Homochirality.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Did Salts in Seawater Play an Important Role in the Adsorption of Molecules on Minerals in the Prebiotic Earth? The Case of the Adsorption of Thiocyanate onto Forsterite-91.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

The Possible Role of Anoxic Alkaline High Subcritical Water in the Formation of Ferric Minerals, Methane and Disordered Graphitic Carbon in a BARB3 Drilled Sample of the 3.4 Ga Buck Reef Chert.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Parity Violation Energy Difference Calculation of Atropisomers.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
See all related articles

Early Earth impacts from 10-20 km bolides created ideal conditions for peptide synthesis. These impacts generated sufficient heat for thermal peptide formation, crucial for the origin of life.

Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Geochemistry
  • Origin of Life studies

Background:

  • Previous research suggested large impacts sterilized early Earth.
  • Laboratory experiments show amino acids form polypeptides at ~170°C.
  • Concerns existed about early Earth temperatures supporting peptide synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate surface heating from smaller impactors on early Earth.
  • Determine if impact events could generate temperatures suitable for organic synthesis.
  • Focus on the specific conditions for thermal peptide formation.

Main Methods:

  • Modeled thermal conditions on early Earth sand surfaces.
  • Used the K/T impact as an analog for atmospheric reentry of ejecta.
  • Analyzed impactor size and frequency effects on surface temperatures.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Considered atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (1-100 PAL).

    • Main Results:

    • Impacts by 10-20 km diameter bolides produced surface temperatures (~170°C) conducive to peptide synthesis.
    • These impact conditions occurred frequently (1 per 10^4-10^5 years) at 4.2 Ga.
    • Larger impacts (>30 km) caused excessive heating, pyrolyzing organic compounds.
    • Smaller impacts (<10 km) resulted in negligible global surface heating.

    Conclusions:

    • A specific range of impactor sizes (10-20 km) facilitated global peptide formation on early Earth.
    • Impact-generated heat, not sterilization, may have been key for prebiotic organic synthesis.
    • These findings offer a plausible mechanism for the origin of peptides, essential building blocks for life.