The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life

Negrón‐Mendoza, A.; Ramos-Bernal, S.

doi:10.1007/1-4020-2522-x_12

Cited by 16 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…A subgroup of phyllosilicates particularly interesting in the prebiotic context is clay minerals due to their large surface area and optimal interlayer sites for the concentration and preservation of organic compounds when rapidly deposited under reducing chemical conditions [73]. These minerals have been detected at several locations on Mars [4,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82], including Echus Chasma, Mawrth Vallis, Eridania basin, the Memnonia quadrangle, the Elysium quadrangle, Nili Fossae, and the large Argyre Planitia area.…”

Section: Martian Mineralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Fornaro

Steele

Brucato

2018

Life

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Minerals might have played critical roles for the origin and evolution of possible life forms on Mars. The study of the interactions between the “building blocks of life” and minerals relevant to Mars mineralogy under conditions mimicking the harsh Martian environment may provide key insight into possible prebiotic processes. Therefore, this contribution aims at reviewing the most important investigations carried out so far about the catalytic/protective properties of Martian minerals toward molecular biosignatures under Martian-like conditions. Overall, it turns out that the fate of molecular biosignatures on Mars depends on a delicate balance between multiple preservation and degradation mechanisms, often regulated by minerals, which may take place simultaneously. Such a complexity requires more efforts in simulating realistically the Martian environment in order to better inspect plausible prebiotic pathways and shed light on the nature of the organic compounds detected both in meteorites and on the surface of Mars through in situ analysis.

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Section: Martian Mineralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Fornaro

Steele

Brucato

2018

Life

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“…Ice appears to be the less effective protector since it is easily perishable by climatic warming. In regard to molecular biosignatures, molecular binding to minerals, like phyllosilicates [60,73,74] and Al-Fe oxyhydroxides [115], has shown to enhance preservation. Amorphous materials have also demonstrated some preservation potential that can be ascribed to the possibility to incorporate and protect molecules within their porous structure.…”

Section: Preservation Of Biosignaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Fornaro¹,

Steele²,

Brucato³

2018

Preprint

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Minerals might have played critical roles for the origin and evolution of possible life forms on Mars. The study of the interactions between “building blocks of life” and minerals relevant to Mars mineralogy under conditions mimicking the harsh Martian environment may provide key insight into possible prebiotic processes. Therefore, this contribution aims at reviewing the most important investigations carried out so far about the catalytic/protective properties of Martian minerals toward molecular biosignatures under Martian-like conditions. Overall, it turns out that the fate of molecular biosignatures on Mars depends on a delicate balance between multiple preservation and degradation mechanisms often regulated by minerals, which may take place simultaneously. Such a complexity requires more efforts in simulating realistically the Martian environment in order to better inspect plausible prebiotic pathways and shed light on the nature of the organic compounds detected both in meteorites and on the surface of Mars through in situ analysis.

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“…Series of prebiotic synthons such as amino acids, oligopepetides, or oligonucleotides have been synthetized in the presence of clays. [29][30][31] Clays were also shown to catalyze RNA polymerization and favor the formation fatty acid vesicles used as protocell models. [32] Yet, the issue remains that biomolecules were most likely diluted in oceans, rivers, or lakes.…”

Section: From Biology To Materials and Vice-versamentioning

confidence: 99%

Two‐Dimensional Hybrid Materials: Transferring Technology from Biology to Society

et al. 2015

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Hybrid materials are at the forefront of modern research and technology; hence a large number of publications on hybrid materials has already appeared in the scientific literature. This essay focuses on the specifics and peculiarities of hybrid materials based on two‐dimensional (2D) building blocks and confinements, for two reasons: (1) 2D materials have a very broad field of application, but they also illustrate many of the scientific challenges the community faces, both on a fundamental and an application level; (2) all authors of this essay are involved in research on 2D materials, but their perspective and vision of how the field will develop in the future and how it is possible to benefit from these new developments are rooted in very different scientific subfields. The current article will thus present a personal, yet quite broad, account of how hybrid materials, specifically 2D hybrid materials, will provide means to aid modern societies in fields as different as healthcare and energy.

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The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life

Cited by 16 publications

References 51 publications

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Catalytic/Protective Properties of Martian Minerals and Implications for Possible Origin of Life on Mars

Two‐Dimensional Hybrid Materials: Transferring Technology from Biology to Society

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