Thermodynamics, Disequilibrium, Evolution: Far-From-Equilibrium Geological and Chemical Considerations for Origin-Of-Life Research

Barge, Laura M.; Branscomb, Elbert; Brucato, J. R.; Cardoso, Silvana S. S.; Cartwright, Julyan H. E.; Danielache, Sebastian O.; Galante, Douglas; Kee, Terence P.; Miguel, Yamila; Mojzsis, Stephen J.; Robinson, Kirtland J.; Russell, Michael J.; Simoncini, E.; Sobrón, P.

doi:10.1007/s11084-016-9508-z

Cited by 63 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 147 publications

(90 reference statements)

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“…"Prebiotic chemistry has been approached from the intellectual tradition of synthetic chemistry, and the apotheosis is the 'one-pot synthesis.' But cells are not simply a pot of chemicals; they have a structure in space" (7); waviness is how hydrothermal vent pores--microfluidic reactor vessels that are marvels of natural chemical engineering--optimize their fluid mechanics (37).…”

Section: Model and Comparison With Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wavy membranes and the growth rate of a planar chemical garden: Enhanced diffusion and bioenergetics

Ding

Batista

Steinbock

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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To model ion transport across protocell membranes in Hadean hydrothermal vents, we consider both theoretically and experimentally the planar growth of a precipitate membrane formed at the interface between two parallel fluid streams in a 2D microfluidic reactor. The growth rate of the precipitate is found to be proportional to the square root of time, which is characteristic of diffusive transport. However, the dependence of the growth rate on the concentrations of hydroxide and metal ions is approximately linear and quadratic, respectively. We show that such a difference in ionic transport dynamics arises from the enhanced transport of metal ions across a thin gel layer present at the surface of the precipitate. The fluctuations in transverse velocity in this wavy porous gel layer allow an enhanced transport of the cation, so that the effective diffusivity is about one order of magnitude higher than that expected from molecular diffusion alone. Our theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with our laboratory measurements of the growth of a manganese hydroxide membrane in a microfluidic channel, and this enhanced transport is thought to have been needed to account for the bioenergetics of the first single-celled organisms.

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Section: Model and Comparison With Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wavy membranes and the growth rate of a planar chemical garden: Enhanced diffusion and bioenergetics

Ding

Batista

Steinbock

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Frankly speaking, we wish to have evidence as strong as the CMB – a provocative concept of cosmology – to explore the setting of early life, which continues to be a challenging and controversial issue. Since life is a product of disequilibrium (a ‘gradient’) that is a condition of differential entropy in the geochemical environment (Branscomb and Russell, ; Barge et al ., ), the biochemical processes of life are likely characteristic of its early physical–chemical settings and signatures of these settings may be found in life (Nisbet and Steep, ). Therefore, theoretically, we might stumble upon something analogous to CMB in cells.…”

Section: Epiloguementioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into a hot environment for early life

Dai¹

2017

Environ Microbiol Rep

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Investigating the physical-chemical setting of early life is a challenging task. In this contribution, the author attempted to introduce a provocative concept from cosmology - cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is the residual thermal radiation from a hot early Universe - to the field. For this purpose, the author revisited a recently deduced biomarker, the 1,6-anhydro bond of sugars in bacteria. In vitro, the 1,6-anhydro bond of sugars reflects and captures residual thermal radiation in thermochemical processes and therefore is somewhat analogous to CMB. In vivo, the formation process of the 1,6-anhydro bond of sugars on the peptidoglycan of prokaryotic cell wall is parallel to in vitro processes, suggesting that the 1,6-anhydro bond is an ideal CMB-like analogue that suggests a hot setting for early life. The CMB-like 1,6-anhydro bond is involved in the life cycle of viruses and the metabolism of eukaryotes, underlying this notion. From a novel perspective, the application of the concept of the CMB to microbial ecology may give new insights into a hot environment, such as hydrothermal vents, supporting early life and providing hypotheses to test in molecular palaeontology.

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“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] These environments lack sunlight, which constitutes the primary energy source of terrestrial ecosystems. [5,10,12,14,15,17] The 3-dimensional columnar struc-ture of the chimney wall establishes spatial thermodynamic gradients, [5,12] and the catalytic nature of its exterior [10] is thought to allow CO 2 to be reduced electrochemically to CO, HCOOH, and CH 4 . [5,10,12,14,15,17] The 3-dimensional columnar struc-ture of the chimney wall establishes spatial thermodynamic gradients, [5,12] and the catalytic nature of its exterior [10] is thought to allow CO 2 to be reduced electrochemically to CO, HCOOH, and CH 4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[16] This has resulted in the emergence of unique and sophisticated strategies to utilize other energy sources, such as chemical and thermal energy. [5,10,12,14,15,17] The 3-dimensional columnar struc-ture of the chimney wall establishes spatial thermodynamic gradients, [5,12] and the catalytic nature of its exterior [10] is thought to allow CO 2 to be reduced electrochemically to CO, HCOOH, and CH 4 . [10,18,19] Previously, these reactions were considered to be driven primarily based on the enormous reductive energy discharged from the hydrothermal vents, such as from H 2 and H 2 S. [8,20] However, at least in terms of standard electrochemical potentials, the thermodynamic driving force derived from these reducing agents alone is insufficient, [22,23] and the lack of driving force must be somehow supplemented by other energy sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrochemistry at Deep‐Sea Hydrothermal Vents: Utilization of the Thermodynamic Driving Force towards the Autotrophic Origin of Life

2019

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Temperature gradients are an under-utilized source of energy with which to drive chemical reactions. Here, we review our past efforts to understand how deep-sea hydrothermal vents may harness thermal energy to promote difficult chemical reactions such as CO 2 reduction. Strategies to amplify the driving force using temperature will be covered first, followed by a discussion on how spatially separated thermodynamic gradients can be used to regulate reaction selectivity. Although desirable material properties of hydrothermal vent walls have been inferred previously from the bioenergetic membranes of modern cells, strategies based on fundamental laws of physical chemistry allow naturally occurring chimney minerals to circumvent the lack of structural and catalytic optimization. The principles that underlie both the establishment and the utilization of the thermodynamic driving force at hydrothermal vents can be employed in abiotic systems such as the modern chemical industry, yielding insight into carbon fixation reactions important today and possibly at the autotrophic origin of life.

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Thermodynamics, Disequilibrium, Evolution: Far-From-Equilibrium Geological and Chemical Considerations for Origin-Of-Life Research

Cited by 63 publications

References 147 publications

Wavy membranes and the growth rate of a planar chemical garden: Enhanced diffusion and bioenergetics

Wavy membranes and the growth rate of a planar chemical garden: Enhanced diffusion and bioenergetics

New insights into a hot environment for early life

Electrochemistry at Deep‐Sea Hydrothermal Vents: Utilization of the Thermodynamic Driving Force towards the Autotrophic Origin of Life

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