1. Editorial Note

   • A. W. Schwartz

   EditorialNotes 28 November 2006 Pages: 431 - 431

2. Introduction to the Special Issue

   • John Robert Brucato
   • Ernesto Di Mauro
   • Raffaele Saladino

   Introduction 19 December 2006 Pages: 433 - 434

3. Observed Molecular Alignment in Gaseous Streams and Possible Chiral Effects in Vortices and in Surface Scattering

   • V. Aquilanti
   • G. S. Maciel

   OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 435 - 441

4. Gas-Phase Reactions in Extraterrestrial Environments: Laboratory Investigations by Crossed Molecular Beams

   • Nadia Balucani
   • Piergiorgio Casavecchia

   OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 443 - 450

   

5. Cryogenic Synthesis of Molecules of Astrobiological Interest: Catalytic Role of Cosmic Dust Analogues

   • J. R. Brucato
   • G. Strazzulla
   • L. Colangeli

   OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 451 - 457

   

6. Astrobiology and Biological Chirality

   • Luciano Caglioti
   • Orsolya Holczknecht
   • Gyula Palyi

   OriginalPaper 03 January 2007 Pages: 459 - 466

7. Polyynes and Cyanopolyynes: Their Synthesis with the Carbon Arc Gives the Same Abundances Occurring in Carbon-Rich Stars

   • Franco Cataldo

   OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 467 - 475

8. γ-Radiation Induced Polymerization of a Chiral Monomer: A New Way to Produce Chiral Amplification

   • Franco Cataldo
   • John Robert Brucato
   • Yeghis Keheyan

   OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 477 - 485

9. Interrupted Genes in Extremophilic Archaea: Mechanisms of Gene Expression in Early Organisms

   • Beatrice Cobucci-Ponzano
   • Mosè Rossi
   • Marco Moracci

   OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 487 - 492

   

10. Looking for the Primordial Genetic Honeycomb

    • Enzo Gallori
    • Elisa Biondi
    • Sergio Branciamore

    OriginalPaper 29 November 2006 Pages: 493 - 499

    

11. Prebiotic Homochirality as a Critical Phenomenon

    • Marcelo Gleiser
    • Joel Thorarinson

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 501 - 505

12. Early Inner Solar System Impactors: Physical Properties of Comet Nuclei and Dust Particles Revisited

    • A. C. Levasseur-Regourd
    • J. Lasue
    • E. Desvoivres

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 507 - 514

    

13. Definitely Life but not Definitively

    • Joan D. Oliver
    • Randall S. Perry

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 515 - 521

14. About a Formamide-Based Origin of Informational Polymers: Syntheses of Nucleobases and Favourable Thermodynamic Niches for Early Polymers

    • Raffaele Saladino
    • Claudia Crestini
    • Ernesto Di Mauro

    OriginalPaper 29 November 2006 Pages: 523 - 531

    

15. Mars Primordial Crust: Unique Sites for Investigating Proto-biologic Properties

    • Randall S. Perry
    • William K. Hartmann

    OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 533 - 540

    

16. Characterizing Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets with Reflected, Emitted and Transmitted Spectra

    • Giovanna Tinetti

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 541 - 547

17. The Evolution of the Genetic Code Revisited

    • Andrew Travers

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 549 - 555

    

18. Self-inflicted Fear of Evolution

    • Edward N. Trifonov

    OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 557 - 558

19. Primordia Vita. Deconvolution from Modern Sequences.

    • Edward N. Trifonov
    • Idan Gabdank
    • Yehoshua Sobolevsky

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 559 - 565

    

20. National Workshop on Astrobiology: The Life Science Involvement of AAS–I Laben

    • Giorgio Adami

    OriginalPaper 14 December 2006 Pages: 567 - 576

21. Fresh New Air in Space? ‘MoMa’ on the A.S.I. Launch Pad

    • Francesco Saverio Ambesi Impiombato
    • Francesco Curcio
    • Anna Maria Zambito

    OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 577 - 585

    

22. Galileo Avionica’s Technologies and Instruments for Planetary Exploration

    • E. Battistelli
    • P. Falciani
    • E. Re

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 587 - 596

    

23. A New Miniaturised Optical System for Chemical Species Spectroscopic Detection Based on a Scanning Integrated Mach–Zehnder Microinterferometer on LiNbO₃

    • G. G. Bentini
    • M. Bianconi
    • R. Guzzi

    OriginalPaper 29 November 2006 Pages: 597 - 603

    

24. From Never Born Proteins to Minimal Living Cells: Two Projects in Synthetic Biology

    • Pier Luigi Luisi
    • Cristiano Chiarabelli
    • Pasquale Stano

    OriginalPaper 28 November 2006 Pages: 605 - 616

    

25. Protocell-like Microspheres from Thermal Polyaspartic Acid

    • Peter R. Bahn
    • Aristotel Pappelis
    • John Bozzola

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 617 - 619

    

26. Studies of Biominerals Relevant to the Search for Life on Mars

    • Armando Blanco
    • Marcella D’Elia
    • Sergio Fonti

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 621 - 622

27. Stromatolites as a Resource for Novel Natural Products

    • Brendan P. Burns
    • Francesco Pomati
    • Brett A. Neilan

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 623 - 624

28. S.A.M., the Italian Martian Simulation Chamber

    • G. Galletta
    • F. Ferri
    • S. Debei

    OriginalPaper 22 November 2006 Pages: 625 - 627