Plausible Emergence of Biochemistry in Enceladus Based on Chemobrionics |
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| Authors: | Georgios Angelis Dr Golfo G Kordopati Dr Eleni Zingkou Prof Dr Anastasia Karioti Prof Dr Georgia Sotiropoulou Prof Dr Georgios Pampalakis |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;2. Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504 Rion-Patras, Greece |
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| Abstract: | Saturn's satellite Enceladus is proposed to have a soda-type subsurface ocean with temperature able to support life and an iron ore-based core. Here, it was demonstrated that ocean chemistry related to Enceladus can support the development of Fe-based hydrothermal vents, one of the places suggested to be the cradle of life. The Fe-based chemical gardens were characterized with Fourier-transform (FT)IR spectroscopy and XRD. The developed chemobrionic structures catalyzed the condensation polymerization of simple organic prebiotic molecules to kerogens. Further, they could passively catalyze the condensation of the prebiotic molecule formamide to larger polymers, suggesting that elementary biochemical precursors could have emerged in Enceladus. |
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| Keywords: | chemical gardens chemobrionics Enceladus iron soda ocean |
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