Stochastic Prebiotic Chemistry within Realistic Geological Systems
Open accessAbstract
This review introduces its readers to a ‘stochastic approach’ to origins of life research, from the viewpoints of both prebiotic chemistry and geology. The idea of a “primordial soup” has been subject to extensive criticism from thermodynamic, biochemical and geochemical perspectives, yet recent advancements have made clearer the plausibility of this theory. Herein, we review the theoretical and experimental approaches which have previously been explored, among these modelling, laboratory‐confined and geologically motivated experimentation. Of these, we consider organo‐mineral interactions, uniting aspects of prebiotic chemistry and geology, to be an especially promising way forward. However, we aim here to advance current approaches by advocating a methodology involving chemical systems and their stochastic reactivity on heterogeneous geological surfaces. This models the origins of life as a continuity of chemical reactions in an analogue to the early Earth (Hadean) environment.
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Mineral surfaces in and around hydrothermal systems are important for condensing organic molecules and affecting their conformation and complexification.
“Moreover, many have noted the importance of mineral surfaces in and around hydrothermal systems (including hydrothermal sediments, cf.Westall et al. 2018) for condensing organic molecules, as well as having an effect on their conformation and complexification (Hazen et al. 2001;Hazen and Sverjensky 2010;Dass et al. 2016Dass et al. , 2018)).”
From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as Dass et al. 2016
Concentration or 'crowding' of organic molecules is an important aspect of prebiotic chemistry.
“Since concentration or 'crowding' of organic molecules is an important aspect of prebiotic chemistry, molecules disseminated or dissolved in fluids could also be concentrated by the mineral surfaces (Dass et al. 2016(Dass et al. , 2018;;Westall et al. 2018).”
From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as Dass et al. 2016
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References 161 · Cited by 28
- Authors
- Dass, A. V., Hickman‐Lewis, K., Brack, A., Kee, T. P., & Westall, F.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire Rue Charles Sadron 45071 Orléans France
- Corresponding author
- Dass, Avinash Vicholous
- Hickman‐Lewis, Keyron
- Venue
- ChemistrySelect
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-09-16
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 4906-4926
- ISSN
- 2365-6549 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2525380117
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 161
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 1.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hal.science
- Licence
- Locations
- ChemistrySelect (publishedVersion)
- BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (acceptedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/F042558/1)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution
- Keywords
- origin of life, prebiotic chemistry, primordial soup, organo-mineral interactions, early Earth, geochemical modeling, laboratory experiments
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