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Experimental Simulations of Possible Origins of Life: Conceptual and Practical Issues

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Habitability of Other Planets and Satellites

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 28))

Abstract

The search for habitable planets and moons includes the search for locations where conditions are or were favorable for the origin of life. The geochemical and geophysical conditions that prevailed on Earth and Mars ∼4 billion years ago are approximately known and can be reasonably simulated in laboratory experiments. Such experiments may reveal general principles of chemical evolution that can be transferred to prebiotic chemical processes on other planets and moons. We discuss some concepts that may be useful in assessing the prebiotic plausibility of simulation experiments. One of these concepts is the clear distinction between primordial-soup (or “spontaneous”) and protometabolic abiotic synthesis of organic molecules. We also suggest that some well-established principles of evolutionary biology, such as intensification of function and cooption/preadaptation, can be beneficially applied to chemical evolution. Finally, technical aspects of simulation experiments are briefly discussed. Some examples are given of how prebiotic conditions are translated into experimental design.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioinorganic Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Henry Strasdeit & Stefan Fox

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  1. Henry Strasdeit
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Correspondence to Henry Strasdeit .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Planetary Physics, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany

    Jean-Pierre de Vera

  2. The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Strasdeit, H., Fox, S. (2013). Experimental Simulations of Possible Origins of Life: Conceptual and Practical Issues. In: de Vera, JP., Seckbach, J. (eds) Habitability of Other Planets and Satellites. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6546-7_8

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