1
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Ding Y, Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE. Dynamics of the osmotic lysis of mineral protocells and its avoidance at the origins of life. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12611. [PMID: 39020475 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
The osmotic rupture of a cell, its osmotic lysis or cytolysis, is a phenomenon that active biological cell volume regulation mechanisms have evolved in the cell membrane to avoid. How then, at the origin of life, did the first protocells survive prior to such active processes? The pores of alkaline hydrothermal vents in the oceans form natural nanoreactors in which osmosis across a mineral membrane plays a fundamental role. Here, we discuss the dynamics of lysis and its avoidance in an abiotic system without any active mechanisms, reliant upon self-organized behaviour, similar to the first self-organized mineral membranes within which complex chemistry may have begun to evolve into metabolism. We show that such mineral nanoreactors could function as protocells without exploding because their self-organized dynamics have a large regime in parameter space where osmotic lysis does not occur and homeostasis is possible. The beginnings of Darwinian evolution in proto-biochemistry must have involved the survival of protocells that remained within such a safe regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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2
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Patel VK, Busupalli B. Light-modulated colour transformation in highly intertwined vertically growing silver tungstate tubes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:30727-30734. [PMID: 37934461 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04329k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Achieving control over growth kinetics in chemical garden architectures is challenging due to the nonequilibrium conditions. In this study, we demonstrate the vertical growth of silver tungstate chemical garden tubes under both illuminated and dark conditions, a phenomenon not observed in a comparable silver-based system, specifically silver silicate, under light exposure. Physicochemical factors, viz. thermo chemical radius of the tungstate anion, its density-buoyancy relation, the osmotic pressure gradient, and the hydration enthalpy, contributed to the tube appearance in silver tungstate even in light. Tubes grown in light illumination were greyish black, while dark-grown tubes were creamy white, and both tubes appeared twisted and highly intertwined. The colour of the as obtained silver tungstate tubes could be transformed via exposure to light. In the presence of a strong oxidizing agent, the growing tubes retain the original creamy white colour even under illumination. Colour transformation in chemical garden tubes has not yet been observed, and this report could lead the way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipul Kirtikumar Patel
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar 382426, Gujarat, India.
| | - Balanagulu Busupalli
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar 382426, Gujarat, India.
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3
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Russell MJ. A self-sustaining serpentinization mega-engine feeds the fougerite nanoengines implicated in the emergence of guided metabolism. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1145915. [PMID: 37275164 PMCID: PMC10236563 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1145915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The demonstration by Ivan Barnes et al. that the serpentinization of fresh Alpine-type ultramafic rocks results in the exhalation of hot alkaline fluids is foundational to the submarine alkaline vent theory (AVT) for life's emergence to its 'improbable' thermodynamic state. In AVT, such alkaline fluids ≤ 150°C, bearing H2 > CH4 > HS--generated and driven convectively by a serpentinizing exothermic mega-engine operating in the ultramafic crust-exhale into the iron-rich, CO2> > > NO3--bearing Hadean ocean to result in hydrothermal precipitate mounds comprising macromolecular ferroferric-carbonate oxyhydroxide and minor sulfide. As the nanocrystalline minerals fougerite/green rust and mackinawite (FeS), they compose the spontaneously precipitated inorganic membranes that keep the highly contrasting solutions apart, thereby maintaining redox and pH disequilibria. They do so in the form of fine chimneys and chemical gardens. The same disequilibria drive the reduction of CO2 to HCOO- or CO, and the oxidation of CH4 to a methyl group-the two products reacting to form acetate in a sequence antedating the 'energy-producing' acetyl coenzyme-A pathway. Fougerite is a 2D-layered mineral in which the hydrous interlayers themselves harbor 2D solutions, in effect constricted to ~ 1D by preferentially directed electron hopping/tunneling, and proton Gröthuss 'bucket-brigading' when subject to charge. As a redox-driven nanoengine or peristaltic pump, fougerite forces the ordered reduction of nitrate to ammonium, the amination of pyruvate and oxalate to alanine and glycine, and their condensation to short peptides. In turn, these peptides have the flexibility to sequester the founding inorganic iron oxyhydroxide, sulfide, and pyrophosphate clusters, to produce metal- and phosphate-dosed organic films and cells. As the feed to the hydrothermal mound fails, the only equivalent sustenance on offer to the first autotrophs is the still mildly serpentinizing upper crust beneath. While the conditions here are very much less bountiful, they do offer the similar feed and disequilibria the survivors are accustomed to. Sometime during this transition, a replicating non-ribosomal guidance system is discovered to provide the rules to take on the incrementally changing surroundings. The details of how these replicating apparatuses emerged are the hard problem, but by doing so the progenote archaea and bacteria could begin to colonize what would become the deep biosphere. Indeed, that the anaerobic nitrate-respiring methanotrophic archaea and the deep-branching Acetothermia presently comprise a portion of that microbiome occupying serpentinizing rocks offers circumstantial support for this notion. However, the inescapable, if jarring conclusion is drawn that, absent fougerite/green rust, there would be no structured channelway to life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Russell
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
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4
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Zahorán R, Kumar P, Deák Á, Lantos E, Horváth D, Tóth Á. From Balloon to Crystalline Structure in the Calcium Phosphate Flow-Driven Chemical Garden. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5078-5083. [PMID: 36972336 PMCID: PMC10100542 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We have studied the calcium phosphate precipitation reaction by producing chemical gardens in a controlled manner using a three-dimensional flow-driven technique. The injection of the phosphate containing solution into the calcium ion reservoir has resulted in structures varying from membranes to crystals. Dynamical phase diagrams are constructed by varying chemical composition and flow rates from which three different growth mechanisms have been revealed. The microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the morphological transition from membrane tubes to crystalline branches upon decreasing pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réka Zahorán
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Deák
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Interdisciplinary Excellence
Centre, University of Szeged, Aradi sq. 1, Szeged 6720, Hungary
| | - Emese Lantos
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department
of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
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5
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Nogueira JA, Batista BC, Cooper MA, Steinbock O. Shape Evolution of Precipitate Membranes in Flow Systems. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:1471-1478. [PMID: 36745753 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c08433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are macroscopic structures that form when a salt seed is submerged in an alkaline solution. Their thin precipitate membranes separate the reactant partners and slow down the approach toward equilibrium. During this stage, a gradual thickening occurs, which is driven by steep cross-membrane gradients and governed by selective ion transport. We study these growth dynamics in microfluidic channels for the case of Ni(OH)2 membranes. Fast flowing reactant solutions create thickening membranes of a nearly constant width along the channel, whereas slow flows produce wedge-shaped structures that fail to grow along their downstream end. The overall dynamics and shapes are caused by the competition of reactant consumption and transport replenishment. They are reproduced quantitatively by a two-variable reaction-diffusion-advection model which provides kinetic insights into the growth of precipitate membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica A Nogueira
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Bruno C Batista
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Maggie A Cooper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
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6
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Patel VK, Busupalli B. Dissimilar chemobrionic growth in copper silicate chemical gardens in the absence or presence of light. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:768-771. [PMID: 36546324 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc06570c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The effect of the absence of light on chemical garden growth has been neglected although the gardens resemble hydrothermal vents that grow in dark in the sea/ocean. Herein, we report the differential growth of chemobrionic structures in copper silicate when identical reactions to yield copper silicate chemical gardens were carried out in the presence or absence of light. Irradiating the copper silicate chemical garden during its growth with different wavelengths of light independently resulted in morphologically divergent tubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipul Kirtikumar Patel
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382426, India.
| | - Balanagulu Busupalli
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382426, India.
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7
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Huld S, McMahon S, Sjöberg S, Huang P, Neubeck A. Chemical Gardens Mimic Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra and Morphology of Biogenic Mn Oxides. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:24-32. [PMID: 36450112 PMCID: PMC9810355 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Manganese (Mn) oxides are ubiquitous in nature and occur as both biological and abiotic minerals, but empirically distinguishing between the two remains a problem. Recently, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has been proposed for this purpose. It has been reported that biogenic Mn oxides display a characteristic narrow linewidth in contrast to their pure abiotic counterparts, which is explained in part by the large number of cation vacancies that form within the layers of biogenic Mn oxides. It was, therefore, proposed that natural samples that display a narrow EPR linewidth, ΔHpp < 580G, could be assigned to a biogenic origin. However, in poorly crystalline or amorphous solids, both dipolar broadening and exchange narrowing simultaneously determine the linewidth. Considering that the spectral linewidth is governed by several mechanisms, this approach might be questioned. In this study, we report synthetic chemical garden Mn oxide biomorphs that exhibit both morphologically life-like structures and narrow EPR linewidths, suggesting that a narrow EPR line may be unsuitable as reliable evidence in assessment of biogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid Huld
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sean McMahon
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne Sjöberg
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ping Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Neubeck
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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8
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Lerin-Morales KM, Olguín LF, Mateo-Martí E, Colín-García M. Prebiotic Chemistry Experiments Using Microfluidic Devices. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:1665. [PMID: 36295100 PMCID: PMC9605377 DOI: 10.3390/life12101665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic devices are small tools mostly consisting of one or more channels, with dimensions between one and hundreds of microns, where small volumes of fluids are manipulated. They have extensive use in the biomedical and chemical fields; however, in prebiotic chemistry, they only have been employed recently. In prebiotic chemistry, just three types of microfluidic devices have been used: the first ones are Y-form devices with laminar co-flow, used to study the precipitation of minerals in hydrothermal vents systems; the second ones are microdroplet devices that can form small droplets capable of mimic cellular compartmentalization; and the last ones are devices with microchambers that recreate the microenvironment inside rock pores under hydrothermal conditions. In this review, we summarized the experiments in the field of prebiotic chemistry that employed microfluidic devices. The main idea is to incentivize their use and discuss their potential to perform novel experiments that could contribute to unraveling some prebiotic chemistry questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luis F. Olguín
- Laboratorio de Biofisicoquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico
| | - Eva Mateo-Martí
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - María Colín-García
- Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico
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9
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Ding Y, Gutiérrez-Ariza CM, Zheng M, Felgate A, Lawes A, Sainz-Díaz CI, Cartwright JHE, Cardoso SSS. Downward fingering accompanies upward tube growth in a chemical garden grown in a vertical confined geometry. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:17841-17851. [PMID: 35851594 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01862d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled structures of mineral precipitates enabled by semi-permeable membranes. To explore the effects of gravity on the formation of chemical gardens, we have studied chemical gardens grown from cobalt chloride pellets and aqueous sodium silicate solution in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell. Through photography, we have observed and quantitatively analysed upward growing tubes and downward growing fingers. The latter were not seen in previous experimental studies involving similar physicochemical systems in 3-dimensional or horizontal confined geometry. To better understand the results, further studies of flow patterns, buoyancy forces, and growth dynamics under schlieren optics have been carried out, together with characterisation of the precipitates with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. In addition to an ascending flow and the resulting precipitation of tubular filaments, a previously not reported descending flow has been observed which, under some conditions, is accompanied by precipitation of solid fingering structures. We conclude that the physics of both the ascending and descending flows are shaped by buoyancy, together with osmosis and chemical reaction. The existence of the descending flow might highlight a limitation in current experimental methods for growing chemical gardens under gravity, where seeds are typically not suspended in the middle of the solution and are confined by the bottom of the vessel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Carlos M Gutiérrez-Ariza
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Mingchuan Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Amy Felgate
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Anna Lawes
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - C Ignacio Sainz-Díaz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain. .,Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
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10
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Rocha LAM, Cartwright JHE, Cardoso SSS. Filament dynamics in vertical confined chemical gardens. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2022; 32:053107. [PMID: 35649986 DOI: 10.1063/5.0085834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
When confined to a Hele-Shaw cell, chemical gardens can grow as filaments, narrow structures with an erratic and tortuous trajectory. In this work, the methodology applied to studies with horizontal Hele-Shaw cells is adapted to a vertical configuration, thus introducing the effect of buoyancy into the system. The motion of a single filament tip is modeled by taking into account its internal pressure and the variation of the concentration of precipitate that constitutes the chemical garden membrane. While the model shows good agreement with the results, it also suggests that the concentration of the host solution of sodium silicate also plays a role in the growth of the structures despite being in stoichiometric excess.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A M Rocha
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RA, United Kingdom
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RA, United Kingdom
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11
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Busupalli B, Patel VK. Dark–induced vertical growth of chemobrionic architectures in silver based precipitating chemical gardens. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:4172-4175. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cc06430d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Light sensitivity of many silver compounds has restricted observation of silver based chemical gardens. Here we report for the first time, silver based chemical gardens grown in dark. An identical...
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12
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Getenet M, Rieder J, Kellermeier M, Kunz W, Manuel García-Ruiz J. Tubular Structures of Calcium Carbonate: Formation, Characterization, and Implications in Natural Mineral Environments. Chemistry 2021; 27:16135-16144. [PMID: 34590745 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202101417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled tubular precipitates formed by a combination of osmosis, buoyancy, and chemical reaction, and thought to be capable of catalyzing prebiotic condensation reactions. In many cases, the tube wall is a bilayer structure with the properties of a diaphragm and/or a membrane. The interest in silica gardens as microreactors for materials science has increased over the past decade because of their ability to create long-lasting electrochemical potential. In this study, we have grown single macroscopic tubes based on calcium carbonate and monitored their time-dependent behavior by in situ measurements of pH, ionic concentrations inside and outside the tubular membranes, and electrochemical potential differences. Furthermore, we have characterized the composition and structure of the tubular membranes by using ex situ X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the collected data, we propose a physicochemical mechanism for the formation and ripening of these peculiar CaCO3 structures and compare the results to those of other chemical garden systems. We find that the wall of the macroscopic calcium carbonate tubes is a bilayer of texturally distinct but compositionally similar calcite showing high crystallinity. The resulting high density of the material prevents macroscopic calcium carbonate gardens from developing significant electrochemical potential differences. In the light of these observations, possible implications in materials science and prebiotic (geo)chemistry are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melese Getenet
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avenida de las Palmeras 4, Armilla, 18100, Granada, Spain
| | - Julian Rieder
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kellermeier
- Material Physics, BASF SE, RAA/OS-B007, Carl-Bosch-Strasse 38, 67056, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - Werner Kunz
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Juan Manuel García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avenida de las Palmeras 4, Armilla, 18100, Granada, Spain
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13
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Caliari A, Xu J, Yomo T. The requirement of cellularity for abiogenesis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:2202-2212. [PMID: 33995913 PMCID: PMC8099592 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The history of modern biochemistry started with the cellular theory of life. By putting aside the holistic protoplasmic theory, scientists of the XX century were able to advance the functional classification of cellular components significantly. The cell became the unit of the living. Current theories on the abiogenesis of life must account for a moment in evolution (chemical or biological) when this was not the case. Investigating the role of compartments and membranes along chemical and biotic evolution can lead a more generalised idea of living organisms that is fundamental to advance our efforts in astrobiology, origin of life and artificial life studies. Furthermore, it may provide insights in unexplained evolutionary features such as the lipid divide between Archaea and Eubacteria. By surveying our current understanding of the involvement of compartments in abiogenesis and evolution, the idea of cells as atomistic units of a general theory of biology will be discussed. The aim is not to undermine the validity of the cellular theory of life, but rather to elucidate possible biases with regards to cellularity and the origin of life. An open discussion in these regards could show the inherent limitations of non-cellular compartmentalization that may lead to the necessity of cellular structures to support complex life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Caliari
- School of Software Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, PR China
| | - Jian Xu
- Laboratory of Biology and Information Science, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, PR China
| | - Tetsuya Yomo
- Laboratory of Biology and Information Science, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, PR China
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14
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Zouheir M, Le T, Torop J, Nikiforow K, Khatib M, Zohar O, Haick H, Huynh T. CuS‐Carrageenan Composite Grown from the Gel/Liquid Interface. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202000063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morad Zouheir
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
| | - Trung‐Anh Le
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
| | - Janno Torop
- Institute of Technology University of Tartu Nooruse 1 50411 Tartu Estonia
| | - Kostiantyn Nikiforow
- Institute of Physical Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences 44/52 Kasprzaka 01-224 Warsaw Poland
| | - Muhammad Khatib
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Orr Zohar
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Hossam Haick
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Tan‐Phat Huynh
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
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15
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Wang Q, Steinbock O. Chemical Garden Membranes in Temperature-Controlled Microfluidic Devices. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:2485-2493. [PMID: 33555186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Thin-walled tubes that classically form when metal salts react with sodium silicate solution are known as chemical gardens. They share similarities with the porous, catalytic materials in hydrothermal vent chimneys, and both structures are exposed to steep pH gradients that, combined with thermal factors, might have provided the free energy for prebiotic chemistry on early Earth. We report temperature effects on the shape, composition, and opacity of chemical gardens. Tubes grown at high temperature are more opaque, indicating changes to the membrane structure or thickness. To study this dependence, we developed a temperature-controlled microfluidic device, which allows the formation of analogous membranes at the interface of two coflowing reactant solutions. For the case of Ni(OH)2, membranes thicken according to a diffusion-controlled mechanism. In the studied range of 10-40 °C, the effective diffusion coefficient is independent of temperature. This suggests that counteracting processes are at play (including an increased solubility) and that the opacity of chemical garden tubes arises from changes in internal morphology. The latter could be linked to experimentally observed dendritic structures within the membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingpu Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
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16
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Angelis G, Kordopati GG, Zingkou E, Karioti A, Sotiropoulou G, Pampalakis G. Plausible Emergence of Biochemistry in Enceladus Based on Chemobrionics. Chemistry 2021; 27:600-604. [PMID: 33108005 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202004018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Saturn's satellite Enceladus is proposed to have a soda-type subsurface ocean with temperature able to support life and an iron ore-based core. Here, it was demonstrated that ocean chemistry related to Enceladus can support the development of Fe-based hydrothermal vents, one of the places suggested to be the cradle of life. The Fe-based chemical gardens were characterized with Fourier-transform (FT)IR spectroscopy and XRD. The developed chemobrionic structures catalyzed the condensation polymerization of simple organic prebiotic molecules to kerogens. Further, they could passively catalyze the condensation of the prebiotic molecule formamide to larger polymers, suggesting that elementary biochemical precursors could have emerged in Enceladus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Golfo G Kordopati
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Eleni Zingkou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Anastasia Karioti
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgia Sotiropoulou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
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17
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Kumar P, Horváth D, Tóth Á. Bio-inspired flow-driven chitosan chemical gardens. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:8325-8329. [PMID: 32902544 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01397h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Organic chemical gardens of chitosan hydrogel develop upon injecting an acidic chitosan solution into an alkaline solution. Besides complex and budding structures, tubular hydrogel formations develop that exhibit periodic surface patterns. The underlying wrinkling instability is identified by its characteristic wavelength dependence on the diameter of the elastic material formed. The flow-driven conditions allow precise control over the structure that can help the design of soft bio-inspired materials. Our findings can also suggest a new direction in the field of chemobrionics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pimentel
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra CSIC – Universidad de Granada 18100 Armilla, Granada Spain
- Departamento de mineralogía y petrología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas Universidad Complutense de Madrid 18040 Madrid Spain
| | - Julyan H. E. Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra CSIC – Universidad de Granada 18100 Armilla, Granada Spain
- Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional Universidad de Granada 18071 Granada Spain
| | - C. Ignacio Sainz‐Díaz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra CSIC – Universidad de Granada 18100 Armilla, Granada Spain
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-PharmacologySchool of PharmacyAristotle University of Thessaloniki 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-PharmacologySchool of PharmacyAristotle University of Thessaloniki 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
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20
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Balog E, Papp P, Tóth Á, Horváth D, Schuszter G. The impact of reaction rate on the formation of flow-driven confined precipitate patterns. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:13390-13397. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01036g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of different confined precipitation patterns is determined by the ratio of the chemical and hydrodynamic time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edina Balog
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science
- University of Szeged
- Szeged
- Hungary
| | - Paszkál Papp
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science
- University of Szeged
- Szeged
- Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science
- University of Szeged
- Szeged
- Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry
- University of Szeged
- Hungary
| | - Gábor Schuszter
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science
- University of Szeged
- Szeged
- Hungary
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21
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Abstract
Books with titles like 'The Call of the Wild' seemed to set a path for a life. Thus, I would be an explorer-a plan that did not work out so well, at least at first. On leaving school I got a job as a 'Works Chemist Improver', testing Ni catalysts for the hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanol. Taking night classes I passed enough exams to study geology at Queen Mary College, London. Armed thus I travelled to the Solomon Islands where geology is a 'happening'! Next was Canada to visit a mine sunk into a 1.5 billion year old Pb-Zn orebody precipitated from submarine hot springs. At last I reached the Yukon to prospect for silver. Thence to Ireland researching what I also took to be 'exhalative' (i.e. hot spring-related) Pb-Zn orebodies. While there in 1979, the discovery of 350°C metal-bearing acidic waters issuing from submarine Black Smoker chimneys in the Pacific sent us searching for fossil examples in the Irish mines. However, the chimneys we found were more like chemical gardens than Black Smokers, a finding that made us think about the emergence of life. After all, what better for life's emergence than to have a membrane comprising Fe minerals dosed with Ni in our chimneys to mediate the 'hydrogenation' of CO2-life's job anyway. Indeed, such a membrane would keep redox and pH disequilibria at bay, just like biological membranes. At the same time, my field research among Alpine ophiolites-ocean floor mafic rocks obducted to the Alps-indicated that alkaline waters bearing H2 and CH4 were a result of serpentinization, a process that must have operated in all ocean floors over all time. Thus it was that we could predict the Lost City hydrothermal field 10 years before its discovery in the North Atlantic in the year 2000. Lost City comprises a number of alkaline springs at up to 90°C that produce carbonate and brucite (Mg[OH]2) chimneys. We had surmised that Ni-enriched FeS chimneys would have precipitated at comparable alkaline springs issuing into a metal-rich carbonic ocean on the very early Earth (inducing membrane potentials comparable to those capable of succouring all life, and presumably, sufficient to drive life into being). However, our laboratory precipitates also revealed green rust, thought to be the precursor to the magnetite now comprising the Archaean Banded Iron Formations. We now look upon green rust, also known as fougèrite, as the tangible, base fractal of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Russell
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
- http://bip.cnrs-mrs.fr/bip09/AHVics.html
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22
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Couture J, Lena A, Maselko J, Pantaleone J. Growth and form of a self-constructing tube network. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2019; 29:123103. [PMID: 31893671 DOI: 10.1063/1.5125688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
When a small amount of liquid is quickly injected into another liquid with similar density, the fluid jet usually does not propagate very far. However, when the two solutions chemically react to form a flexible membrane at their interface, then structures that are long and branching can form. Here, we describe the tube networks produced when a small amount of AlCl3 solution is quickly injected into a NaOH solution. Single straight tubes do not occur, but straight tubular "stems" with 2-5 "branches" are observed. The branches emerge relatively symmetrically from the stem at a common branching junction. These structures can have a ratio of propagation distance to stem width as large as 50. The stem and branches grow by the stretching of the membrane sheathing the closed tube system. These tube networks occasionally exhibit the spontaneous creation of new branches at a junction and also the splitting of a branching junction. A model explains why the branches occur, why they are symmetric around the central stem, and why the initial growth speed is insensitive to the flow rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Couture
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - A Lena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - J Maselko
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - J Pantaleone
- Department of Physics, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
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23
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Wang Q, Steinbock O. Materials Synthesis and Catalysis in Microfluidic Devices: Prebiotic Chemistry in Mineral Membranes. ChemCatChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201901495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingpu Wang
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida State University 102 Varsity Drive Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida State University 102 Varsity Drive Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
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24
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Ding Y, Cartwright JHE, Cardoso SSS. Intrinsic concentration cycles and high ion fluxes in self-assembled precipitate membranes. Interface Focus 2019; 9:20190064. [PMID: 31641435 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2019.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Concentration cycles are important for bonding of basic molecular building components at the emergence of life. We demonstrate that oscillations occur intrinsically in precipitation reactions when coupled with fluid mechanics in self-assembled precipitate membranes, such as at submarine hydrothermal vents. We show that, moreover, the flow of ions across one pore in such a prebiotic membrane is larger than that across one ion channel in a modern biological cell membrane, suggesting that proto-biological processes could be sustained by osmotic flow in a less efficient prebiotic environment. Oscillations in nanoreactors at hydrothermal vents may be just right for these warm little pores to be the cradle of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.,Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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25
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Wang Q, Steinbock O. Flow‐Assisted Self‐Organization of Hybrid Membranes. Chemistry 2019; 25:10427-10432. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201901595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingpu Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306-4390 USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306-4390 USA
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26
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Vance SD, Barge LM, Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE. Self-Assembling Ice Membranes on Europa: Brinicle Properties, Field Examples, and Possible Energetic Systems in Icy Ocean Worlds. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:685-695. [PMID: 30964322 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Brinicles are self-assembling tubular ice membrane structures, centimeters to meters in length, found beneath sea ice in the polar regions of Earth. We discuss how the properties of brinicles make them of possible importance for chemistry in cold environments-including that of life's emergence-and we consider their formation in icy ocean worlds. We argue that the non-ice composition of the ice on Europa and Enceladus will vary spatially due to thermodynamic and mechanical properties that serve to separate and fractionate brines and solid materials. The specifics of the composition and dynamics of both the ice and the ocean in these worlds remain poorly constrained. We demonstrate through calculations using FREZCHEM that sulfate likely fractionates out of accreting ice in Europa and Enceladus, and thus that an exogenous origin of sulfate observed on Europa's surface need not preclude additional endogenous sulfate in Europa's ocean. We suggest that, like hydrothermal vents on Earth, brinicles in icy ocean worlds constitute ideal places where ecosystems of organisms might be found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Vance
- 1 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Laura M Barge
- 1 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- 2 Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- 3 Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- 4 Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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27
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Wang Q, Barge LM, Steinbock O. Microfluidic Production of Pyrophosphate Catalyzed by Mineral Membranes with Steep pH Gradients. Chemistry 2019; 25:4732-4739. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201805950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingpu Wang
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306-4390 USA
| | - Laura M. Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of Technology Pasadena California 91109 USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryFlorida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306-4390 USA
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28
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Redox and pH gradients drive amino acid synthesis in iron oxyhydroxide mineral systems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:4828-4833. [PMID: 30804197 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1812098116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron oxyhydroxide minerals, known to be chemically reactive and significant for elemental cycling, are thought to have been abundant in early-Earth seawater, sediments, and hydrothermal systems. In the anoxic Fe2+-rich early oceans, these minerals would have been only partially oxidized and thus redox-active, perhaps able to promote prebiotic chemical reactions. We show that pyruvate, a simple organic molecule that can form in hydrothermal systems, can undergo reductive amination in the presence of mixed-valence iron oxyhydroxides to form the amino acid alanine, as well as the reduced product lactate. Furthermore, geochemical gradients of pH, redox, and temperature in iron oxyhydroxide systems affect product selectivity. The maximum yield of alanine was observed when the iron oxyhydroxide mineral contained 1:1 Fe(II):Fe(III), under alkaline conditions, and at moderately warm temperatures. These represent conditions that may be found, for example, in iron-containing sediments near an alkaline hydrothermal vent system. The partially oxidized state of the precipitate was significant in promoting amino acid formation: Purely ferrous hydroxides did not drive reductive amination but instead promoted pyruvate reduction to lactate, and ferric hydroxides did not result in any reaction. Prebiotic chemistry driven by redox-active iron hydroxide minerals on the early Earth would therefore be strongly affected by geochemical gradients of Eh, pH, and temperature, and liquid-phase products would be able to diffuse to other conditions within the sediment column to participate in further reactions.
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29
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Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE. On the differing growth mechanisms of black-smoker and Lost City-type hydrothermal vents. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2017; 473:20170387. [PMID: 28989315 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2017.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Black smokers and Lost City-type springs are varieties of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floors that emit hot, acidic water and cool, alkaline water, respectively. While both produce precipitation structures as the issuing fluid encounters oceanic water, Lost City-type hydrothermal vents in particular have been implicated in the origin of life on the Earth. We present a parallel-velocity flow model for the radius and flow rate of a cylindrical jet of fluid that forms the template for the growth of a tube precipitated about itself and we compare the solution with previous laboratory experimental results from growth of silicate chemical gardens. We show that when the growth of the solid structure is determined by thermal diffusion, fluid flow is slow at the solid-liquid contact. However, in the case of chemical diffusive transport, the fluid jet effectively drags the liquid in the pores of the solid precipitate. These findings suggest a continuum in the diffusive growth rate of hydrothermal vent structures, where Lost City-type hydrothermal vents favour contact between the vent fluid and the external seawater. We explore the implications for the road to life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.,Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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30
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Barge LM, White LM. Experimentally Testing Hydrothermal Vent Origin of Life on Enceladus and Other Icy/Ocean Worlds. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:820-833. [PMID: 28836818 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We review various laboratory strategies and methods that can be utilized to simulate prebiotic processes and origin of life in hydrothermal vent systems on icy/ocean worlds. Crucial steps that could be simulated in the laboratory include simulations of water-rock chemistry (e.g., serpentinization) to produce hydrothermal fluids, the types of mineral catalysts and energy gradients produced in vent interfaces where hydrothermal fluids interface with the surrounding seawater, and simulations of biologically relevant chemistry in flow-through gradient systems (i.e., far-from-equilibrium experiments). We describe some examples of experimental designs in detail, which are adaptable and could be used to test particular hypotheses about ocean world energetics or mineral/organic chemistry. Enceladus among the ocean worlds provides an ideal test case, since the pressure at the ocean floor is more easily simulated in the lab. Results for Enceladus could be extrapolated with further experiments and modeling to understand other ocean worlds. Key Words: Enceladus-Ocean worlds-Icy worlds-Hydrothermal vent-Iron sulfide-Gradient. Astrobiology 17, 820-833.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California
| | - Lauren M White
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California
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31
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Möller FM, Kriegel F, Kieß M, Sojo V, Braun D. Steep pH Gradients and Directed Colloid Transport in a Microfluidic Alkaline Hydrothermal Pore. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:2340-2344. [PMID: 28117546 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201610781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
All life on earth depends on the generation and exploitation of ionic and pH gradients across membranes. One theory for the origin of life proposes that geological pH gradients were the prebiotic ancestors of these cellular disequilibria. With an alkaline interior and acidic exterior, alkaline vents match the topology of modern cells, but it remains unknown whether the steep pH gradients persist at the microscopic scale. Herein, we demonstrate the existence of 6 pH-unit gradients across micrometer scales in a microfluidic vent replicate. Precipitation of metal sulfides at the interface strengthens the gradients, but even in the absence of precipitates laminar flow sustains the disequilibria. The gradients drive directed transport at the fluid interface, leading to colloid accumulation or depletion. Our results confirm that alkaline vents can provide an exploitable pH gradient, supporting their potential role at the emergence of chemiosmosis and the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike M Möller
- Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstraße 54, 80799, München, Germany
| | - Franziska Kriegel
- Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstraße 54, 80799, München, Germany
| | - Michael Kieß
- Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstraße 54, 80799, München, Germany
| | - Victor Sojo
- Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstraße 54, 80799, München, Germany
| | - Dieter Braun
- Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstraße 54, 80799, München, Germany
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32
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Möller FM, Kriegel F, Kieß M, Sojo V, Braun D. Steep pH Gradients and Directed Colloid Transport in a Microfluidic Alkaline Hydrothermal Pore. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201610781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Friederike M. Möller
- Systems Biophysics; Physics Department; Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Amalienstraße 54 80799 München Germany
| | - Franziska Kriegel
- Systems Biophysics; Physics Department; Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Amalienstraße 54 80799 München Germany
| | - Michael Kieß
- Systems Biophysics; Physics Department; Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Amalienstraße 54 80799 München Germany
| | - Victor Sojo
- Systems Biophysics; Physics Department; Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Amalienstraße 54 80799 München Germany
| | - Dieter Braun
- Systems Biophysics; Physics Department; Nanosystems Initiative Munich and Center for NanoScience; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Amalienstraße 54 80799 München Germany
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33
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Barge LM, Cardoso SSS, Cartwright JHE, Doloboff IJ, Flores E, Macías-Sánchez E, Sainz-Díaz CI, Sobrón P. Self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide/oxide tubular structures: laboratory-grown and field examples from Rio Tinto. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2016; 472:20160466. [PMID: 27956875 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2016.0466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rio Tinto in southern Spain has become of increasing astrobiological significance, in particular for its similarity to environments on early Mars. We present evidence of tubular structures from sampled terraces in the stream bed at the source of the river, as well as ancient, now dry, terraces. This is the first reported finding of tubular structures in this particular environment. We propose that some of these structures could be formed through self-assembly via an abiotic mechanism involving templated precipitation around a fluid jet, a similar mechanism to that commonly found in so-called chemical gardens. Laboratory experiments simulating the formation of self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide tubes via chemical garden/chemobrionic processes form similar structures. Fluid-mechanical scaling analysis demonstrates that the proposed mechanism is plausible. Although the formation of tube structures is not itself a biosignature, the iron mineral oxidation gradients across the tube walls in laboratory and field examples may yield information about energy gradients and potentially habitable environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; NASA Astrobiology Institute, Icy Worlds, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 3RA , UK
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Av. de las Palmeras, 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain; Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Ivria J Doloboff
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; NASA Astrobiology Institute, Icy Worlds, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Erika Flores
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; NASA Astrobiology Institute, Icy Worlds, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Elena Macías-Sánchez
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Av. de las Palmeras, 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain; Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - C Ignacio Sainz-Díaz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, IACT, CSIC-UGR , Av. de las Palmeras, 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada , Spain
| | - Pablo Sobrón
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA; Impossible Sensing, St Louis, MO, USA
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34
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Nakouzi E, Steinbock O. Self-organization in precipitation reactions far from the equilibrium. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1601144. [PMID: 27551688 PMCID: PMC4991932 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Far from the thermodynamic equilibrium, many precipitation reactions create complex product structures with fascinating features caused by their unusual origins. Unlike the dissipative patterns in other self-organizing reactions, these features can be permanent, suggesting potential applications in materials science and engineering. We review four distinct classes of precipitation reactions, describe similarities and differences, and discuss related challenges for theoretical studies. These classes are hollow micro- and macrotubes in chemical gardens, polycrystalline silica carbonate aggregates (biomorphs), Liesegang bands, and propagating precipitation-dissolution fronts. In many cases, these systems show intricate structural hierarchies that span from the nanometer scale into the macroscopic world. We summarize recent experimental progress that often involves growth under tightly regulated conditions by means of wet stamping, holographic heating, and controlled electric, magnetic, or pH perturbations. In this research field, progress requires mechanistic insights that cannot be derived from experiments alone. We discuss how mesoscopic aspects of the product structures can be modeled by reaction-transport equations and suggest important targets for future studies that should also include materials features at the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Nakouzi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4390, USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4390, USA
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