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The origin of life is one of the biggest unsolved scientific questions. This book deals with the formation and first steps of the chemical evolution of nucleic acids, including the chemical roots behind the origin of their components from the simplest sources in a geochemical context. Chemical evolution encompasses the chemical processes and interactions conducive to self-assembly and supramolecular organization, leading to an increase of complexity and the emergence of life. 

The book starts with a personal account of the pioneering work of Stanley Miller and Jeffrey Bada on the Chemistry of Origins of Life and how the development of organic chemistry beginning in the 19th century led to the emergence of the field of prebiotic chemistry, situated at the frontier between organic, geo- and biochemistry. It then continues reviewing in tutorial manner current central topics regarding the organization of nucleic acids: the origin of nucleobases and nucleosides, their phosphorylation and polymerization and ultimately, their self-assembly and supramolecular organization at the inception of life.

Prebiotic Chemistry and Chemical Evolution of Nucleic Acids

Introduction: Reminiscing about Stanley Miller and Prebiotic ChemistryJeff Bada  ([email protected])

1. From the dawn of Organic Chemistry to Astrobiology: an historical perspective on the Prebiotic Chemistry of nucleobasesCesar  Menor-Salvan ([email protected])

2. Decomposition and condensation of nucleotides in hydrothermal fields.Bruce Damer and David Deamer ([email protected])

3. Nucleobases on the primitive Earth:  their sources and stability
Jim Cleaves and Jeff Bada ([email protected])

4. The Case for Mineralogy in the Origins of LifeHyo Joong Kim and Steven Benner ([email protected])

5. Urea: a common reagent behind the origin of bases, nucleosides and nucleotides.Cesar Menor-Salvan

6. -title pending-David Fialho and Nick Hud ([email protected]). Georgia Institute of Technology.
7. The origin of the ionized linker: Geochemical predestination for phosphate?
Matthew Pasek ([email protected]) University of South Florida

8. Prebiotic phosphorylationBradley Burcar ([email protected]) Georgia Institute of Technology
9. The Chemical Space of Nucleic AcidsJames H Cleaves ([email protected])
10. RNA and Protein: The Molecular Symbiosis at the Core of LifeAnton Petrov, Jessica C Bowman and Loren D. Williams ([email protected]). Georgia Institute of Technology
11. On the origin of interactions between nucleic acids and peptidesIrene Chen ([email protected]) and Celia Blanco de Torres.  University of California-Santa Barbara.
12. Self-Replication and Information Transfer of Nucleic-Acids Mediated by Non-Aqueous Environments.Isaac Gallego ([email protected] ) and Christine He