The origin and early evolution of life: Prebiotic chemistry, the preRNA world, and the time

Abstract

In the last few years, there have been a number of developments in origin of life studies that merit review. We will discuss primitive atmospheres, submarine vents, autotrophic versus heterotrophic origin, the RNA and preRNA worlds, and the time required for life to arise and evolve to cyanobacteria. Topics such as prebiotic synthesis, template polymerizations, and evolution of specific metabolic pathways will not be discussed here.