Selecting Chemical Processes and Sequences at the Molecular Origins of Life

Watch a 33-minute research seminar where Mr. Ivar Svalheim Haugerud from Universität Augsburg presents groundbreaking findings on chemical processes and sequence selection at life's molecular origins. Explore how phase separation and wet-dry cycles influenced early Earth's prebiotic chemistry, with particular focus on DNA and RNA formation relevant to the RNA world hypothesis. Learn about a novel theory explaining chemical process kinetics in phase-separating mixtures under cyclic conditions, discovering how cycle frequency impacts chemical turnover and creates resonance behaviors. Understand the mechanisms behind sequence selection in prebiotic conditions and how phase separation affects sequence distribution, potentially explaining chemical evolution in early Earth environments. The presentation, part of the "New statistical physics in living matter" series, includes collaborative research with Pranay Jaiswal, Giacomo Bartolucci, and Christoph A. Weber at the Isaac Newton Institute.