Chemistry

A robotic prebiotic chemist probes long-term reactions of complexifying mixtures

S. Asche, G. J. T. Cooper, et al.

Discover how a robotic prebiotic chemist, developed by Silke Asche, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Graham Keenan, Cole Mathis, and Leroy Cronin, is revolutionizing the exploration of complex chemical reactions. This groundbreaking system autonomously conducts experiments, revealing insights into the emergence of life from prebiotic chemistry through its innovative discoveries of high-complexity molecules.

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Abstract

This paper reports on a robotic prebiotic chemist system designed for long-term, autonomous chemical experiments exploring unconstrained multicomponent reactions. The system, equipped with an automatic sensor system, collects mass spectrometry data from over 10 experiments, each with 60 to 150 algorithmically controlled cycles, running continuously for over 4 weeks. The results demonstrate the robot's ability to discover high-complexity molecules from simple precursors and handle vast amounts of data from recursive experiments. This approach is a significant step towards designing new Origin of Life experiments that allow for testable hypotheses about life's emergence from prebiotic chemistry.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Jun 10, 2021

Authors

Silke Asche, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Graham Keenan, Cole Mathis, Leroy Cronin

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