The Grayness of the Origin of Life

In the search for life beyond Earth, distinguishing the living from the non-living is paramount. However, this distinction is often elusive, as the origin of life is likely a stepwise evolutionary process, not a singular event. Regardless of the favored origin of life model, an inherent “grayness” b...

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Main Authors:	Hillary H. Smith, Andrew S. Hyde, Danielle N. Simkus, Eric Libby, Sarah E. Maurer, Heather V. Graham, Christopher P. Kempes, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Luoth Chou, Andrew D. Ellington, G. Matthew Fricke, Peter R. Girguis, Natalie M. Grefenstette, Chad I. Pozarycki, Christopher H. House, Sarah Stewart Johnson
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:	Life
Subjects:	origin of life prebiotic evolution meteoritic organics pre-RNAs metalloenzymes thioesters
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/6/498

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spelling	doaj-4c5bec21f06644ce81ea1d12fe8043d12021-06-01T01:34:47ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292021-05-011149849810.3390/life11060498The Grayness of the Origin of LifeHillary H. Smith0Andrew S. Hyde1Danielle N. Simkus2Eric Libby3Sarah E. Maurer4Heather V. Graham5Christopher P. Kempes6Barbara Sherwood Lollar7Luoth Chou8Andrew D. Ellington9G. Matthew Fricke10Peter R. Girguis11Natalie M. Grefenstette12Chad I. Pozarycki13Christopher H. House14Sarah Stewart Johnson15Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USASanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USADepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 06050, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USASanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USADepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, CanadaNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USADepartment of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USADepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USASanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USADepartment of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USAIn the search for life beyond Earth, distinguishing the living from the non-living is paramount. However, this distinction is often elusive, as the origin of life is likely a stepwise evolutionary process, not a singular event. Regardless of the favored origin of life model, an inherent “grayness” blurs the theorized threshold defining life. Here, we explore the ambiguities between the biotic and the abiotic at the origin of life. The role of grayness extends into later transitions as well. By recognizing the limitations posed by grayness, life detection researchers will be better able to develop methods sensitive to prebiotic chemical systems and life with alternative biochemistries.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/6/498origin of lifeprebiotic evolutionmeteoritic organicspre-RNAsmetalloenzymesthioesters
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Hillary H. Smith Andrew S. Hyde Danielle N. Simkus Eric Libby Sarah E. Maurer Heather V. Graham Christopher P. Kempes Barbara Sherwood Lollar Luoth Chou Andrew D. Ellington G. Matthew Fricke Peter R. Girguis Natalie M. Grefenstette Chad I. Pozarycki Christopher H. House Sarah Stewart Johnson
spellingShingle	Hillary H. Smith Andrew S. Hyde Danielle N. Simkus Eric Libby Sarah E. Maurer Heather V. Graham Christopher P. Kempes Barbara Sherwood Lollar Luoth Chou Andrew D. Ellington G. Matthew Fricke Peter R. Girguis Natalie M. Grefenstette Chad I. Pozarycki Christopher H. House Sarah Stewart Johnson The Grayness of the Origin of Life Life origin of life prebiotic evolution meteoritic organics pre-RNAs metalloenzymes thioesters
author_facet	Hillary H. Smith Andrew S. Hyde Danielle N. Simkus Eric Libby Sarah E. Maurer Heather V. Graham Christopher P. Kempes Barbara Sherwood Lollar Luoth Chou Andrew D. Ellington G. Matthew Fricke Peter R. Girguis Natalie M. Grefenstette Chad I. Pozarycki Christopher H. House Sarah Stewart Johnson
author_sort	Hillary H. Smith
title	The Grayness of the Origin of Life
title_short	The Grayness of the Origin of Life
title_full	The Grayness of the Origin of Life
title_fullStr	The Grayness of the Origin of Life
title_full_unstemmed	The Grayness of the Origin of Life
title_sort	grayness of the origin of life
publisher	MDPI AG
series	Life
issn	2075-1729
publishDate	2021-05-01
description	In the search for life beyond Earth, distinguishing the living from the non-living is paramount. However, this distinction is often elusive, as the origin of life is likely a stepwise evolutionary process, not a singular event. Regardless of the favored origin of life model, an inherent “grayness” blurs the theorized threshold defining life. Here, we explore the ambiguities between the biotic and the abiotic at the origin of life. The role of grayness extends into later transitions as well. By recognizing the limitations posed by grayness, life detection researchers will be better able to develop methods sensitive to prebiotic chemical systems and life with alternative biochemistries.
topic	origin of life prebiotic evolution meteoritic organics pre-RNAs metalloenzymes thioesters
url	https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/6/498
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The Grayness of the Origin of Life

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