Prebiotic Chemistry: The Molecular Origins of Life

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to compile a set of articles that reviews recent progress in one of the most intriguing and still unresolved questions of science—the molecular origins of life. In particular, we wish to solicit articles on prebiotic chemistry that explore the non-biological synthesis of the building blocks of life, focusing on the chemical processes that could have led to the formation of the first living organisms on Earth. We encourage articles on how simple inorganic molecules, present on early Earth, might have spontaneously combined and organized into complex organic molecules, like amino acids, nucleic acids, and lipids, and the chemical pathways from these simple precursors to the self-replicating systems that would eventually evolve into the first cells. Articles can describe experiments, computational models, and simulations of early Earth, its formation, and evolution. Prebiotic chemistry on other bodies in our solar systems (e.g., Mars, Venus, and moons of Jupiter and Saturn) is also relevant to this Issue. Finally, with the discovery of exoplanets and the potential to study of their atmospheres, articles on potential biosignatures to detect life beyond our solar system and the prospect of life evolving on other planets are also welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Nigel Mason
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.