The formation and stability of homochiral peptides in aqueous prebiological environment in the Earth's crust

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for homochiral peptide self-assembly in Earth's crustal aqueous environments, suggesting it as a plausible site for prebiotic biomolecule formation prior to life emergence.

Contribution

It presents a hypothesis that Earth's crustal aqueous environments could have facilitated the self-assembly and homochirality of biomolecules, challenging the focus on hydrothermal systems.

Findings

Crust contains water and chemical substances necessary for biomolecule synthesis.

Aqueous environments in Earth's crust could support homochiral peptide formation.

Supports crust as a plausible site for prebiotic self-assembly.

Abstract

The oldest forms of living organisms on Earth are about 3.5 billion years old, and they are found in hydrothermal deposits, and it is often hypothesized that life originated there. But the hydrothermal systems with a fairly strong flow of chemical components are not the optimal place for the prebiological self-assembly of biomolecules and for the emergence of homochirality. This article examines the possibility for that the self-assembly of homochiral molecules took place in an aqueous environment in the Earth's crust. Based on the latest literature regarding the conditions in the lithosphere there are several factors that point to that the crust could be the location for the prebiological self-assembly of biomolecules, and there is nothing against it. The crust and the mantle contain a substantial amount of water, and at the time prior to the emergence of life the crust contained most likely the necessary chemical substances for the synthesis of the biomolecules and an aqueous environments where the homochirality could be established.