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Self-assembly processes in the prebiotic environment.

David Deamer1, Sara Singaram, Sudha Rajamani

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. deamer@soe.ucsc.edu

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|September 30, 2006
PubMed
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Geothermal pools may have fostered early life by concentrating organic molecules on clay minerals. These adsorbed organics could be released later, aiding the origin of life.

Area of Science:

  • Origin of Life studies
  • Astrobiology
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • The origin of life requires specific environmental conditions, including liquid water, organic compounds, energy sources, and concentration mechanisms.
  • Geothermal settings are proposed as potential sites for the origin of life due to mineral-organic interactions facilitating self-assembly and polymerization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of geothermal environments in concentrating organic molecules relevant to the origin of life.
  • To determine the adsorption and release dynamics of organic solutes on clay minerals in simulated geothermal conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated two geothermal sites with clay-lined pools containing high-temperature water.
  • Introduced mixtures of amino acids, nucleobases, fatty acids, glycerol, and phosphate.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Monitored the removal of organics and phosphate from solution over time.
  • Analyzed clay composition (smectite, kaolin) and organic adsorption at different pH levels.

    • Main Results:

    • Most added organic solutes and phosphate were removed from the solution within minutes to hours.
    • Organics adsorbed to clay mineral surfaces (smectite, kaolin) at the acidic pH characteristic of the pools.
    • Adsorbed organics were subsequently released when the solution became basic.

    Conclusions:

    • Geothermal settings with clay minerals can concentrate organic molecules from aqueous solutions.
    • The adsorption and release of organics by clays, influenced by pH changes, represent a viable mechanism for concentrating prebiotic molecules.
    • Environments with transient dry intervals, neutral pH, and moderate temperatures are favorable for the self-assembly of organic solutes, supporting the origin of life hypothesis.