New scenario for the beginning of life on Earth

Life is widely believed to have emerged as segments of DNA or RNA like molecules in a prebiotic ’soup’ solution of ancient organic molecules.

A team from Colorado University, Boulder and Milan University has discovered forms of liquid crystals of ultra short nano DNA molecules that when immersed in water self orientate in parallel to each other and stack into columns.  It is essentially impossible for molecular chains to spontaneously self select, chain up and self replicate in such a uniform way as DNA, so this was an unexpected discovery.

Professor Noel Clark at CU – Boulder comments:

“This means that ultra small molecules with the ability to pair up the right way can search each other out and collect together into drops that are internally self organized to facilitate the growth of larger pairable molecules.

In essence, the liquid condensation selects the appropriate molecular components and with the right chemistry would evolve larger molecules tuned to stabilize the liquid crystal phase.  If this is correct, the linear polymer shape of DNA itself is a vestige of formation by liquid crystal order.

Elaine Warburton