The fundamental roles that peptides and proteins play in today's biology makes it almost
indisputable that peptides were key players in the origin of life. Insofar as it is appropriate to …

Abstract α-Amino nitrile compounds have a profound impact on bio-chemical sciences, as
they have been prepared from inexpensive starting materials and have become valuable …

Although it is generally accepted that amino acids were present on the prebiotic Earth, the
mechanism by which α‐amino acids were condensed into polypeptides before the …

Addressing the emergence of life from a systems biology perspective, this new edition has
undergone extensive revision, reflecting changes in scientific understanding and evolution …

Many high-yielding reactions for forming peptide bonds have been developed but these are
complex, requiring activated amino-acid precursors and heterogeneous supports. Herein we …

Conspectus Central to the quest of understanding the emergence of life is to uncover the
role of metals, particularly iron, in sha** prebiotic chemistry. Iron, as the most abundant of …

Numerous long-standing questions in origins-of-life research center on the history of
biopolymers. For example, how and why did nature select the polypeptide backbone and …

Phosphorus is an element critical to the formation of several biomolecules, including nucleic
acids, the energy transfer molecule ATP, and phospholipids. It hence lies at the heart of …

A crucial stage in the origin of life was the emergence of the first molecular entity that was
able to replicate, transmit information, and evolve on the early Earth. The amyloid world …

Protocells are supramolecular systems commonly used for numerous applications, such as
the formation of self-evolvable systems, in systems chemistry and synthetic biology. Certain …