Papineau, Dominic; Devine, Kevin; Bernardo, Albuquerque Nogueira; (2023) Self-similar patterns from abiotic decarboxylation metabolism through chemically oscillating reactions: A prebiotic model for the origin of life. Life , 13 (2) , Article 551. 10.3390/life13020551.

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Abstract

The origin of life must have included an abiotic stage of carbon redox reactions that involved electron transport chains and the production of lifelike patterns. Chemically oscillating reactions (COR) are abiotic, spontaneous, out-of-equilibrium, and redox reactions that involve the decarboxylation of carboxylic acids with strong oxidants and strong acids to produce CO2 and characteristic self-similar patterns. Those patterns have circular concentricity, radial geometries, characteristic circular twins, colour gradients, cavity structures, and branching to parallel alignment. We propose that COR played a role during the prebiotic cycling of carboxylic acids, furthering the new model for geology where COR can also explain the patterns of diagenetic spheroids in sediments. The patterns of COR in Petri dishes are first considered and compared to those observed in some eukaryotic lifeforms. The molecular structures and functions of reactants in COR are then compared to key biological metabolic processes. We conclude that the newly recognised similarities in compositions and patterns warrant future research to better investigate the role of halogens in biochemistry; COR in life-forms, including in humans; and the COR-stage of prebiotic carbon cycling on other planets, such as Mars.

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