Origin of life: An artificial comet holds the missing piece
Researchers have for the first time shown that ribose, a sugar that is one of the building blocks of genetic material in living organisms, may have formed in cometary ices. They propose the first realistic scenario for the formation of this key compound, which had never been detected in meteorites or cometary ices until now. Their findings shed new light on the emergence of life on Earth. Ref. Source 6k.
New insight into the possible origins of life. Researchers have for the first time been able to create an RNA molecule that replicates, diversifies and develops complexity, following Darwinian evolution. This has provided empirical evidence that simple biological molecules can lead to the emergence of complex lifelike systems. Source 2i.