How Does Life Begin and Develop? Objective
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5 Does Life Exist Elsewhere in the Universe? Objective
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Objective 2: Develop and test plausible pathways by which ancient counterparts of membrane systems, proteins and nucleic acids were synthesized from simpler precursors and assembled into protocells.
For living systems to emerge from abiotic matter, organic constituents on the prebiotic Earth must have self-organized and acquired the capabilities needed to survive and reproduce, thus forming the earliest precursors of life. Eventually, the biomolecules of life became enclosed within a lipid membrane, forming rudimentary assemblages that resembled cells as we know them, or protocells. Among the essential protocellular functions were the acquisition and transduction of energy from the environment, and catalysis to support the synthesis of cellular components (metabolism) and information transfer to succeeding generations (genetics). To explain the origin of life on Earth, it is necessary to demonstrate that essential functions can be accomplished utilizing only the molecules that may have been available in the protobiological milieu. In contemporary life, all these functions are performed by complex systems of proteins, nucleic acids, and membrane-forming material. The early systems must have been much simpler. Implementation Near to mid-term:
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