Researchers have demonstrated a method for rapidly screening model prebiotic peptides that contain ester and amide backbone linkages. The method employs matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) to separate peptides by length and monomer composition. Modelling prebiotic peptides helps astrobiologists understand the potential diversity and evolution of ‘proto-peptides’ on the early Earth that could have played a role in the origins of life.

The study, “MALDI‐TOF Mass Spectrometry of Model Prebiotic Peptides: Optimization of Sample Preparation,” was published in the journal Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry. The work was performed at the NSF/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The CCE is a collaborative program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the NASA Astrobiology Program.