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Mineral-Organic Interactions in Prebiotic Synthesis

The Discontinuous Synthesis Model for the Formation of RNA in Naturally Complex Geological Environments

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Prebiotic Chemistry and Chemical Evolution of Nucleic Acids

Part of the book series: Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology ((NUCLEIC,volume 35))

Abstract

A common criticism of “prebiotic chemistry research” is that it is done with starting materials that are too pure, in experiments that are too directed, to get results that are too scripted, under conditions that could never have existed on Earth. Planetary scientists in particular remark that these experiments often arise simply because a chemist has a “cool idea” and then pursues it without considering external factors, especially geological and planetary context. A growing literature addresses this criticism and is reviewed here. We assume a model where RNA emerged spontaneously from a prebiotic environment on early Earth, giving the planet its first access to Darwinism. This “RNA First Hypothesis” is not driven by the intrinsic prebiotic accessibility; quite the contrary, RNA is a “prebiotic chemist’s nightmare.” However, by assuming models for the accretion of the Earth, the formation of the Moon, and the acquisition of Earth’s “late veneer,” a reasonable geological model can be envisioned to deliver the organic precursors needed to form the nucleobases and ribose of RNA. A geological model having an environment with dry arid land under a carbon dioxide atmosphere receiving effluent from serpentinizing igneous rocks allows their conversion to nucleosides and nucleoside phosphates. Mineral elements including boron and molybdenum prevent organic material from devolving to form “tars” along the way. And dehydration and activation allows the formation of oligomeric RNA that can be stabilized by adsorption on available minerals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Steven A. Benner, Hyo-Joong Kim & Elisa Biondi

  2. Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, FL, USA

    Steven A. Benner, Hyo-Joong Kim & Elisa Biondi

  3. The Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, FL, USA

    Steven A. Benner, Hyo-Joong Kim & Elisa Biondi

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  1. NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Dept. Biologia de Sistemas, Universidad de Alcala, Madrid, Spain

    César Menor-Salván

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Benner, S.A., Kim, HJ., Biondi, E. (2018). Mineral-Organic Interactions in Prebiotic Synthesis. In: Menor-Salván , C. (eds) Prebiotic Chemistry and Chemical Evolution of Nucleic Acids. Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology, vol 35. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93584-3_3

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