In a major breakthrough, scientists have recreated a chemical reaction which may have led to the creation of complex, self-replicating structures which eventually developed into living things on Earth. 
 
As per one school of thought, before the DNA-based life's current era, there was a type of molecule known as RNA (or ribonucleic acid). RNA, which has continued to remain a crucial component of life till today, has the potential of replicating itself and catalysing other chemical reactions. 
 
However, RNA molecules are made from smaller components known as ribonucleotides. Scientists have been trying to find out how these building blocks came into existence early on Earth and then combined into RNA. 
 
A chain of reactions is being recreated by the chemists which is needed to form RNA that leads to the emergence of life.

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Speaking about recreating the chain of reactions, PhD Candidate in Prebiotic Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Quoc Phuong Tran said, “We know whatever chemical reaction created ribonucleotides must have been able to happen in the messy, complicated environment found on our planet billions of years ago.”

<h2>Autocatalytic reactions and their part in creating life</h2>

“I have been studying whether "autocatalytic" reactions may have played a part. These are reactions that produce chemicals that encourage the same reaction to happen again, which means they can sustain themselves in a wide range of circumstances,” he added. 
 
These comments of Phuong Tran were published in an article in The Conversation. 
 
“In our latest work, my colleagues and I have integrated autocatalysis into a well-known chemical pathway for producing the ribonucleotide building blocks, which could have plausibly happened with the simple molecules and complex conditions found on the early Earth,” the chemist stated.

WATCH |&nbsp;Earthquakes from 1800s are triggering aftershocks: Scientists

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Emphasising the importance of autocatalytic reactions, he stated that they play important roles in biology which can vary from regulating our heartbeats to creating patterns on seashells. 
 
“In fact, the replication of life itself, where one cell takes in nutrients and energy from the environment to produce two cells, is a particularly complicated example of autocatalysis. In our study, we tried adding another simple molecule called cyanamide to the formose reaction. This makes it possible for some of the molecules made during the reaction to be "siphoned off" to produce ribonucleotides,” he stated. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

In a major breakthrough, scientists have recreated a chemical reaction which may have led to the creation of complex, self-replicating structures which eventually developed into living things on Earth.

In a major breakthrough, scientists have recreated a chemical reaction which may have led to the creation of complex, self-replicating structures which eventually developed into living things on Earth. As per one school of thought, before the DNA-based life's current era, there was a type of molecule known as RNA (or ribonucleic acid). RNA, which has continued to remain a crucial component of life till today, has the potential of replicating itself and catalysing other chemical reactions. However, RNA molecules are made from smaller components known as ribonucleotides. Scientists have been trying to find out how these building blocks came into existence early on Earth and then combined into RNA. A chain of reactions is being recreated by the chemists which is needed to form RNA that leads to the emergence of life. ALSO READ | Scientists solve puzzle of origin of life, says 'bouncing' comets may carry 'seed of life' Speaking about recreating the chain of reactions, PhD Candidate in Prebiotic Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Quoc Phuong Tran said, “We know whatever chemical reaction created ribonucleotides must have been able to happen in the messy, complicated environment found on our planet billions of years ago.” Autocatalytic reactions and their part in creating life “I have been studying whether "autocatalytic" reactions may have played a part. These are reactions that produce chemicals that encourage the same reaction to happen again, which means they can sustain themselves in a wide range of circumstances,” he added. These comments of Phuong Tran were published in an article in The Conversation. “In our latest work, my colleagues and I have integrated autocatalysis into a well-known chemical pathway for producing the ribonucleotide building blocks, which could have plausibly happened with the simple molecules and complex conditions found on the early Earth,” the chemist stated. WATCH | Earthquakes from 1800s are triggering aftershocks: Scientists Emphasising the importance of autocatalytic reactions, he stated that they play important roles in biology which can vary from regulating our heartbeats to creating patterns on seashells. “In fact, the replication of life itself, where one cell takes in nutrients and energy from the environment to produce two cells, is a particularly complicated example of autocatalysis. In our study, we tried adding another simple molecule called cyanamide to the formose reaction. This makes it possible for some of the molecules made during the reaction to be "siphoned off" to produce ribonucleotides,” he stated. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists recreate a chemical reaction which may have sprung life on Earth

Scientists have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into a usable energy source with the help of sunlight, just like plants convert the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere into sugars that store energy.&nbsp;One of the chief challenges of sequestering carbon dioxide is that it is relatively chemically unreactive. 
 
&quot;On its own, it is quite difficult to convert carbon dioxide into something else,&quot; said Larry Curtiss, from the US Department of Energy&#39;s Argonne National Laboratory. 
 
Researchers used catalysts to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is also a greenhouse gas, it is much more reactive than carbon dioxide and scientists already have ways of converting carbon monoxide into usable fuel, such as methanol. 
 
&quot;Making fuel from carbon monoxide means traveling &#39;downhill&#39; energetically, while trying to create it directly from carbon dioxide means needing to go &#39;uphill,&#39;&quot; said Peter Zapol, from the Argonne National Laboratory.&nbsp;Although the reaction to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is different from anything found in nature, it requires the same basic inputs as photosynthesis. 
 
&quot;In photosynthesis, trees need energy from light, water and carbon dioxide in order to make their fuel; in our experiment, the ingredients are the same, but the product is different,&quot; said Curtiss. 
 
The setup for the reaction is sufficiently similar to nature that the research team was able to construct an &quot;artificial leaf&quot; that could complete the entire three-step reaction pathway. 
 
In the first step, incoming photons, packets of light, are converted to pairs of negatively-charged electrons and corresponding positively-charged &quot;holes&quot; that then separate from each other.&nbsp;Then, the holes react with water molecules, creating protons and oxygen molecules.&nbsp;Finally, the protons, electrons and carbon dioxide all react together to create carbon monoxide and water. 
 
&quot;We burn so many different kinds of hydrocarbons, like coal or oil or gasoline, that finding an economical way to make chemical fuels more reusable with the help of sunlight might have a big impact,&quot; Zapol said. 
 
The study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy; the reaction is very efficient.&nbsp;&quot;The less efficient a reaction is, the higher the energy cost to recycle carbon dioxide, so having an efficient reaction is crucial,&quot; Zapol said. 
 
According to Curtiss, the tungsten diselenide catalyst is also quite durable, lasting for more than 100 hours, a high bar for catalysts to meet.&nbsp;The study appears in the journal Science.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

The researchers in their study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy, and is very efficient

Scientists have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into a usable energy source with the help of sunlight, just like plants convert the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere into sugars that store energy. One of the chief challenges of sequestering carbon dioxide is that it is relatively chemically unreactive. "On its own, it is quite difficult to convert carbon dioxide into something else," said Larry Curtiss, from the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Researchers used catalysts to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is also a greenhouse gas, it is much more reactive than carbon dioxide and scientists already have ways of converting carbon monoxide into usable fuel, such as methanol. "Making fuel from carbon monoxide means traveling 'downhill' energetically, while trying to create it directly from carbon dioxide means needing to go 'uphill,'" said Peter Zapol, from the Argonne National Laboratory. Although the reaction to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is different from anything found in nature, it requires the same basic inputs as photosynthesis. "In photosynthesis, trees need energy from light, water and carbon dioxide in order to make their fuel; in our experiment, the ingredients are the same, but the product is different," said Curtiss. The setup for the reaction is sufficiently similar to nature that the research team was able to construct an "artificial leaf" that could complete the entire three-step reaction pathway. In the first step, incoming photons, packets of light, are converted to pairs of negatively-charged electrons and corresponding positively-charged "holes" that then separate from each other. Then, the holes react with water molecules, creating protons and oxygen molecules. Finally, the protons, electrons and carbon dioxide all react together to create carbon monoxide and water. "We burn so many different kinds of hydrocarbons, like coal or oil or gasoline, that finding an economical way to make chemical fuels more reusable with the help of sunlight might have a big impact," Zapol said. The study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy; the reaction is very efficient. "The less efficient a reaction is, the higher the energy cost to recycle carbon dioxide, so having an efficient reaction is crucial," Zapol said. According to Curtiss, the tungsten diselenide catalyst is also quite durable, lasting for more than 100 hours, a high bar for catalysts to meet. The study appears in the journal Science. (PTI)

Scientists find new way to turn carbon dioxide into fuel

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