Origin of Biological Homochirality by Crystallization of an RNA Precursor on a Magnetic Surface - Astrobiology Colloquium Spring 2024

Attend a captivating astrobiology colloquium presentation by Furkan Ozturk on the origin of biological homochirality. Explore groundbreaking research that addresses the long-standing mystery of why life selectively uses right-handed sugars and left-handed amino acids. Discover how the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect and magnetic surfaces can break molecular symmetry, leading to homochirality in RNA precursors. Learn about the spin-selective crystallization of racemic ribo-aminooxazoline (RAO) on magnetite surfaces and its implications for achieving system-level homochirality. Gain insights into a prebiotically plausible pathway for the emergence of homochirality from racemic starting materials, potentially explaining the asymmetry observed in essential biomolecules. This 59-minute presentation, part of the UW Astrobiology Spring 2024 Colloquium series, offers a fascinating look into the intersection of chemistry, physics, and biology in the quest to understand the origins of life.