Phosphorus-Mediated Prebiotic Chemical: The Origin of Life and Homochirality Selection
Exploring the origin of life and searching for extraterrestrial life are important frontiers in the world's basic scientific research. They are among the important tasks for the development and utilization of space resources and the expansion of human living space. The origin and evolution of life are inseparable from three core elements: the material basis, the geological environment, and the energy supply. The analysis results of the famous Murchison carbonaceous chondrite, samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, and samples from the asteroid Bennu fully indicate that "key organic molecules for life" such as amino acids, nucleobases, ribose, and fatty acids are widely present in the universe. These "key organic molecules for life" spread throughout the universe are transported to the Earth via carriers such as meteorites, providing important conditions for the origin of primitive life on Earth. In the vast universe, there is an abundance of radiant energy and various mineral substrates. Can these "key organic molecules for life" be stored in situ and, with the assistance of cosmic radiant energy as well as the radiation resistance and interfacial catalysis of minerals, directly assemble into complex life molecules in outer space, thereby creating conditions for the origin of life in space? Phosphorus is a key element for life and plays an irreplaceable role in modern biological systems. What role does phosphorus play in the process of the origin of life? To address these scientific questions, we carried out research into the potential catalytic and regulatory functions of phosphorus in prebiotic chemical processes and the origin of homochirality. In addition, we conducted a series of scientific experiments in the space radiation environment using the Extravehicular Exposure Facility for Radiation Biology on the Chinese Space Station, providing important first-hand experimental evidence for the study of the origin of life and the exploration of extraterrestrial life.
