Abstract EANA2024-108

One of the key reactions in prebiotic chemistry is the abiotic polymerisation of molecular building blocks into RNA. The presence of water, however, impedes this central reaction, while at the same time being essential for life as we know it. This discrepancy, known as “the water paradox” in theories on the origin of life, represents a significant challenge in the research on prebiotic chemistry.  A number of hypotheses on the synthesis of prebiotic biopolymers propose conditions that are based on elevated temperature, molecular building block adsorption on crystal surfaces, or the replacement or removal of water (in full or in part) to avoid thermodynamic hampering or hydrolysis. Nevertheless, the generation of biopolymers by living cells does not depend on such conditions. Given the conservative nature of evolution, it can be assumed that the same physicochemical phenomena played a role in circumventing the water problem for prebiotic biopolymer synthesis as they were later utilised for this role by living cells.

This poster provides an overview of our approach to utilising non-classical properties of water for prebiotic RNA synthesis. Such properties emerge in temporal nanoscale confinements between nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions. We present experimental results that indicate that such temporal nanoconfinements can act as plausible prebiotic reaction vessels for non-enzymatic polycondensations towards the synthesis of RNA. These findings may provide a solution to the water paradox that is in line with the conservative nature of evolution. Our polymerisation pathway works within aqueous environments in the form of dense particle suspensions, which is a nanogeochemical environment that was ubiquitous in the prebiotic world and is similar to the crowded intracellular aqueous environment.