2017/12/05 by Valentina Erastova, Matteo T. Degiacomi, Donald G. Fraser +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Origins and Evolution of Life #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02248-y
openalex publication_date 2017/12/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Some seventy years ago, John Desmond Bernal proposed a role for clays in the origin of life. While much research has since been dedicated to the study of silicate clays, layered double hydroxides, believed to be common on the early Earth, have received only limited attention. Here we examine the role that layered hydroxides could have played in prebiotic peptide formation. We demonstrate how these minerals can concentrate, align and act as adsorption templates for amino acids, and during wetting-drying cycles, promote peptide bond formation. This enables us to propose a testable mechanism for the growth of peptides at layered double hydroxide interfaces in an early Earth environment. Our results provide insights into the potential role of mineral surfaces in mimicking aspects of biochemical reaction pathways.