S. J. Zhang

This study shows that molecular crowding supports ribozyme-catalyzed RNA assembly under low Mg2+ conditions, suggesting a role in early life.

This study shows that eutectic phase phospho-Passerini chemistry activates short oligonucleotides, enabling efficient nonenzymatic template-directed RNA copying during freeze-thaw cycles.

This study demonstrates RNA-catalyzed RNA ligation within fatty acid vesicles by using a ribozyme functional at low Mg2+ concentrations and prebiotically relevant molecules to stabilize the system.

This study develops ultrasensitive assays to detect ORF1p in plasma, showing its potential as a multi-cancer biomarker for early detection and monitoring.

This study shows that model protocells can perform a process similar to passive endocytosis, allowing rapid uptake and slow release of impermeable molecules, suggesting a possible mechanism for early nutrient acquisition before protein transporters evolved.

This paper demonstrates that freeze-thaw cycles enable a continuous prebiotic pathway for nucleotide activation and nonenzymatic RNA copying in a single reaction mixture.

This study presents a novel prebiotically plausible chemistry for activating RNA nucleotides, enabling nonenzymatic template-directed RNA copying.