1. Commentary

   ReviewPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 1 - 1

2. Probing the structure of cometary ice

   • Michael A. Wilson
   • Andrew Pohorille
   • David F. Blake

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 3 - 19

3. Molecular dynamics studies of simple membrane — Water interfaces: Structure and functions in the beginnings of cellular life

   • Andrew Pohorille
   • Michael A. Wilson

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 21 - 46

4. Specific effect of magnesium ion on 2′, 3′-cyclic amp synthesis from adenosine and trimeta phosphate in aqueous solution

   • Y. Yamagata
   • H. Inoue
   • K. Inomata

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 47 - 52

5. Prebiotic polymerization: Oxidative polymerization of 2,3-dimercapto-l-propanol on the surface of iron(III) hydroxide oxide

   • Arthur L. Weber

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 53 - 60

6. Binding of adenine and adenine-related compounds to the clay montmorillonite and the mineral hydroxylapatite

   • Dirk Winter
   • Geoffrey Zubay

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 61 - 81

7. The prebiotic role of adenine: A critical analysis

   • Robert Shapiro

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 83 - 98

8. Evolution of the biosynthesis of the branched-chain amino acids

   • Anthony D. Keefe
   • Antonio Lazcano
   • Stanley L. Miller

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 99 - 110

9. The stability of amino acids at submarine hydrothermal vent temperatures

   • Jeffrey L. Bada
   • Stanley L. Miller
   • Meixun Zhao

   OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 111 - 118

10. Evidence for organic synthesis in high temperature aqueous media — Facts and prognosis

    • Bernd R. T. Simoneit

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 119 - 140

11. Geochemical constraints on chemolithoautotrophic reactions in hydrothermal systems

    • Everett L. Shock
    • Thomas McCollom
    • Mitchell D. Schulte

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 141 - 159

12. Thermodynamics of strecker synthesis in hydrothermal systems

    • Mitchell Schulte
    • Everett Shock

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 161 - 173

13. Chirality and life

    • William A. Bonner

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 175 - 190

14. Electro weak enantioselection and the origin of life

    • Alexandra J. Macdermott

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 191 - 199

15. Effect of a chiral impulse on the weak interaction induced handedness in a prebiotic medium

    • D. Cline
    • Y. Liu
    • H. Wang

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 201 - 209

16. Can biological homochirality result from a phase transition?

    • A. Figureau
    • E. Duval
    • A. Boukenter

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 211 - 217

17. The role of accuracy for early stages of the origin of life

    • Clas Blomberg

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 219 - 226

18. Hypercycles versus parasites in the origin of life: model dependence in spatial hypercycle systems

    • Mikael B. Cronhjort

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 227 - 233

19. Speculations on the origin of life and thermophily: Review of available information on reverse gyrase suggests that hyperthermophilic procaryotes are not so primitive

    • Patrick Forterre
    • Fabrice Confalonier
    • Michel Duguet

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 235 - 249

20. The effects of heavy meteorite bombardment on the early evolution — The emergence of the three Domains of life

    • Maria Gogarten-Boekels
    • Elena Hilario
    • J. Peter Gogarten

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 251 - 264

21. Speculations on the evolution of the genetic code IV the evolution of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases

    • Hyman Hartman

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 265 - 269

22. On the nature of mutations in molecular evolution

    • María ANGÉLICA SOTO
    • José Tohá

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 271 - 275

23. Dna stability and survival of bacillus subtilis spores in extreme dryness

    • Klaus Dose
    • Markus Gill

    OriginalPaper 18 December 2005 Pages: 277 - 293