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From Suns to Life: A Chronological Approach to the History of Life on Earth pp 153–203Cite as

Prebiotic Chemistry — Biochemistry — Emergence of Life (4.4-2 Ga)

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Abstract

This chapter is devoted to a discussion about the difficulties and even the impossibility to date the events that occurred during the transition from non-living matter to the first living cells. Nevertheless, the attempts to devise plausible scenarios accounting for the emergence of the main molecular devices and processes found in biology are presented including the role of nucleotides at early stages (RNA world). On the other hand, hypotheses on the development of early metabolisms, compartments and genetic encoding are also discussed in relation with their role in extant living organisms. The nature of the Last Common Ancestor is also presented as well as hypotheses on the evolution of viruses. The following sections constitute a collection of independent articles providing a general overview of these aspects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Chimie, Université Montpellier II, Montpellier, France

    Robert Pascal & Laurent Boiteau

  2. Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

    Patrick Forterre

  3. Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l’Univers, Université Bordeaux 1, Bordeaux, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  4. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Antonio Lazcano

  5. Unité d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

    Purificación López-García & David Moreira

  6. Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris 6, Paris, France

    Marie-Christine Maurel

  7. Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València, València, Spain

    Juli Peretó

  8. Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France

    Daniel Prieur

  9. Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 165/64, Brussels, Belgium

    Jacques Reisse

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Muriel Gargaud Philippe Claeys Purificación López-García Hervé Martin Thierry Montmerle Robert Pascal Jacques Reisse

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Pascal, R. et al. (2006). Prebiotic Chemistry — Biochemistry — Emergence of Life (4.4-2 Ga). In: Gargaud, M., et al. From Suns to Life: A Chronological Approach to the History of Life on Earth. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-45083-4_5

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