OoL digest — January 31st edition

This week, there were 15 articles published on the origin of life in astrobiology, biochemistry, biophysics and microbiology. In astrobiology, we have papers on simulated habitability (Claudi), water detection on exoplanets with JWST (Ding), detection of basal reflections on Mars (Mattei) and a proposal for the DRAKE spectroscopy survey of M-dwarfs (Sarkar). In biochemistry, we have papers on polymerization of glycine and alanine (Baú), flocculation and dehydration (Cohen), DNA uptake (Kapteijn), cysteine encoding systems (Mukai), heredity in protocells (Palmeira), synthesis of aminoacyl-RNA (Roberts), storage of biochemical information (Schreiber) and CO$_2$ adsorption in FeS surfaces (Živković). In biophysics, we have a single article on non-equilibrium thermodynamics of the origin of life. Finally, in microbiology, we have a paper on Txikispora philomaios and the origin of multicellularity (Urrutia) and another one on microbial survival in extreme ecosystems (Wang). Enjoy!

Astrobiology

Super-Earths, M Dwarfs, and Photosynthetic Organisms: Habitability in the Lab – Claudi et al. – preprint

Prospects for water vapor detection in the atmospheres of temperate and arid rocky exoplanets around M-dwarf stars – Ding et al. – preprint

Assessing the role of clay and salts on the origin of MARSIS basal bright reflections – Mattei et al. – Earth and Planetary Science Letters

The DRAKE mission: finding the frequency of life in the Cosmos – Sarkar – preprint


Biochemistry

The Effect of Goethites on the Polymerization of Glycine and Alanine Under Prebiotic Chemistry Conditions – Baú et al. – Orig Life Evol Biosph

Prebiotic Protocell Membranes Retain Encapsulated Contents during Flocculation, and Phospholipids Preserve Encapsulation during Dehydration – Cohen et al. – Langmuir

DNA uptake by cell wall-deficient bacteria reveals a putative ancient macromolecule uptake mechanism – Kapteijn et al. – preprint

Indirect Routes to Aminoacyl-tRNA: The Diversity of Prokaryotic Cysteine Encoding Systems – Mukai et al. – Frontiers in Genetics

The limits of metabolic heredity in protocells – Palmeira et al. – preprint

Potentially prebiotic synthesis of aminoacyl-RNA via a bridging phosphoramidate-ester intermediate – Roberts et al. – preprint

Storage of biochemical information as the start of life: A hypothetical model for the development of the first cell – Schreiber – preprint

Changes in CO2 Adsorption Affinity Related to Ni Doping in FeS Surfaces: A DFT-D3 Study – Živković et al. – Catalysts


Biophysics

Non-equilibrium Thermodynamic Foundations of the Origin of Life – Michaelian – preprint


Microbiology

Txikispora philomaios n. sp., n. g., a micro-eukaryotic pathogen of amphipods, reveals parasitism and hidden diversity in Class Filasterea – Urrutia et al. – Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology

Microbial Survival in an Extreme Martian Analog Ecosystem: Poás Volcano, Costa Rica – Wang et al. – Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences