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Published on: January 24, 2017
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Model Atmospheric Aerosols Convert to Vesicles upon Entry into Aqueous Solution
Serge Nader1, Alexandre Baccouche1, Fiona Connolly1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2N4, Canada.
ACS Earth & Space Chemistry
|January 27, 2023
Summary
Aqueous aerosols transform into cell-sized protocells upon contact with lipids, offering a novel pathway for the origin of life. This process efficiently assembles life’s building blocks within lipid vesicles without dilution.
Area of Science:
- Astrobiology
- Origin of Life Research
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Aerosols are ubiquitous on Earth and may have contributed to prebiotic chemistry.
- Previous research focused on aerosol generation and chemistry, neglecting their fate after deposition.
- Understanding aerosol transformation is crucial for exploring early life formation pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fate of aqueous aerosols and their potential role in the origin of life.
- To determine if aerosols can transform into protocellular structures.
- To explore a novel pathway for the assembly of life's building blocks.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory modeling of aqueous aerosol transformation.
- Utilizing prebiotically plausible lipids, including decanoic acid and decanol.
- Analyzing the formation of cell-sized protocellular structures upon aerosol entry into lipid solutions.
Main Results:
- Aqueous aerosols transform into cell-sized protocellular structures when entering aqueous lipid solutions.
- The transformation process efficiently assembles building blocks of life within lipid vesicles.
- High transformation efficiency was observed with 10-carbon lipids like decanoic acid and decanol.
Conclusions:
- Aerosol transformation into protocells presents a previously unexplored pathway for the origin of life.
- This mechanism facilitates the assembly of biomolecules within cell-like vesicles without dilution.
- Similar processes may occur today, given the presence of fatty acids in aerosols and seawater.
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