Origins of Life, Molecular Basis of

Abstract

Research on the origins of life is an investigation of the reaction pathways that start from simple organic molecules and end with the complex macromolecular structures that organized into the first life. The understanding of this evolution of chemical complexity requires information from astronomy, geology, biology, chemistry, and physics. For example, astronomy, geology, and physics provide data on the formation and environment of the early Earth. Information on reaction processes that led to the first self-replicating system comes from the disciplines of chemistry and biology.