Present life portrays a two-tier phenomenology: molecules compose supramolecular structures, such as cells or organisms, which in turn portray population behaviors, including selection, evolution and ecological dynamics. Prebiotic models have often focused on evolution in populations of self-replicating supramolecules, without explicitly invoking the intermediate molecular-to-supramolecular sta...

It has been hypothesized that before the emergence of modern DNA-RNA-protein life, biology evolved from an "RNA world." However, synthesizing RNA and other organophosphates under plausible early Earth conditions has proved difficult, with the incorporation of phosphorus (P) causing a particular problem because phosphate, where most environmental P resides, is relatively insoluble and unreactive...

The aim of this study was to develop selectively fermented (prebiotic) carbohydrate molecules which would also result in the generation of butyric acid. Gluco-oligosaccharides produced by Gluconobacter oxydans NCIMB 4943 from various types of maltodextrins were evaluated for their fermentation by mixed cultures of human colonic microflora. The selectivity of growth of desirable bacteria (bifido...

The presence of amino acids on the prebiotic Earth, either stemming from endogenous chemical routes or delivered by meteorites, is consensually accepted. Prebiotically plausible pathways to peptides inactivated are still unclear as most oligomerization approaches rely thermodynamically disfavored reactions in solution. Now, a combination prebiotically minerals and mechanochemical activation ena...

this study was carried out to determine the effects of immunogen as a prebiotic on growth-related parameters and gut micro-flora in r. kutum fry. a basal diet was formulated using common feed ingredients supplemented with immunogen at 0, 1, 1.5, and 2 g kg-1 leading to four experimental diets.  fish were randomly distributed in 500 l fiberglass tanks (1×1×0.5 m). the experiment lasted for eight ...