1. Introduction

   • Pier Luigi Luisi

   Editorial Introduction Pages: 1 - 2

2. Raman Spectroscopic Protocol for the Molecular Recognition of Key Biomarkers in Astrobiological Exploration

   • Howell G. M. Edwards

   OriginalPaper Pages: 3 - 11

3. Complex Organic Matter in Space: About the Chemical Composition of Carriers of the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIBs) and Protoplanetary Emission Spectra Recorded from Certain Astrophysical Objects

   • Franco Cataldo
   • Yeghis Keheyan
   • Dieter Heymann

   OriginalPaper Pages: 13 - 24

4. Chemical Evolution and Meteorites: An Update

   • Sandra Pizzarello

   OriginalPaper Pages: 25 - 34

5. Dynamic Co-evolution of Peptides and Chemical Energetics, a Gateway to the Emergence of Homochirality and the Catalytic Activity of Peptides

   • Auguste Commeyras
   • Jacques Taillades
   • Hervé Martin

   OriginalPaper Pages: 35 - 55

6. Organic Aerosols and the Origin of Life: An Hypothesis

   • D. J. Donaldson
   • H. Tervahattu
   • V. Vaida

   OriginalPaper Pages: 57 - 67

7. Entrapping Molecules in Zeolites Nanocavities: A Thermodynamic and Ab-Initio Study

   • V. Bolis
   • A. Barbaglia
   • P. Ugliengo

   OriginalPaper Pages: 69 - 77

8. Chiral Amplification of Oligopeptides via Polymerization in Two-dimensional Crystallites on Water

   • Isabelle Weissbuch
   • Gerard Bolbach
   • Meir Lahav

   OriginalPaper Pages: 79 - 92

9. Spontaneous Onset of Homochirality in Oligopeptide Chains Generated in the Polymerization of N-Carboxyanhydride Amino Acids in Water

   • Thomas H. Hitz
   • Pier L. Luisi

   OriginalPaper Pages: 93 - 110

10. Photochemical Concepts on the Origin of Biomolecular Asymmetry

    • Uwe J. Meierhenrich
    • Wolfram H.-P. Thiemann

    OriginalPaper Pages: 111 - 121

11. Lipid Aggregates Inducing Symmetry Breaking in Prebiotic Polymerisations

    • Stefano Piotto

    OriginalPaper Pages: 123 - 132

12. Origin, Persistence and Biological Activity of Genetic Material in Prebiotic Habitats

    • Marco Franchi
    • Enzo Gallori

    OriginalPaper Pages: 133 - 141

13. A Possible Role of DNA Superstructures in Genome Evolution

    • Claudio Anselmi
    • Pasquale de Santis
    • Anita Scipioni

    OriginalPaper Pages: 143 - 149

14. Strategies for Selection from Protein Libraries Composed of de Novo Designed Secondary Structure Modules

    • Tomoaki Matsuura
    • Andreas Plückthun

    OriginalPaper Pages: 151 - 157

15. Polysaccharides from Extremophilic Microorganisms

    • B. Nicolaus
    • V. Schiano Moriello
    • A. Gambacorta

    OriginalPaper Pages: 159 - 169

16. Proto-Organism Kinetics: Evolutionary Dynamics of Lipid Aggregates with Genes and Metabolism

    • Steen Rasmussen
    • Liaohai Chen
    • Peter F. Stadler

    OriginalPaper Pages: 171 - 180

17. Prospects of a Computational Origin of Life Endeavor

    • Barak Shenhav
    • Doron Lancet

    OriginalPaper Pages: 181 - 194

18. Hydrogen Bonding Interactions of Liposomes Simulating Cell-Cell Recognition. A Review

    • Constantinos M. Paleos
    • Dimitris Tsiourvas
    • Zili Sideratou

    OriginalPaper Pages: 195 - 213

19. Matrix Effect in Oleate Micelles-Vesicles Transformation

    • Silvia Rasi
    • Fabio Mavelli
    • Pier Luigi Luisi

    OriginalPaper Pages: 215 - 224

20. Monte Carlo Simulations of Vesicles and Fluid Membranes Transformations

    • Stefano Piotto
    • Fabio Mavelli

    OriginalPaper Pages: 225 - 235

21. Hydrophobic Barrier in Liposomes Studied by FT-ESEEM

    • V. Noethig-Laslo
    • P. Cevc
    • M. Šentjurc

    OriginalPaper Pages: 237 - 242

22. Comparative Genomics and the Gene Complement of a Minimal Cell

    • Sara Islas
    • Arturo Becerra
    • Antonio Lazcano

    OriginalPaper Pages: 243 - 256

23. Earth's Oldest (∼ 3.5 Ga) Fossils and the `Early Eden Hypothesis': Questioning the Evidence

    • Martin Brasier
    • Owen Green
    • Andrew Steele

    OriginalPaper Pages: 257 - 269

24. Instructions for Authors

    Instructions for Authors Pages: 271 - 275