Can a chemical search engine explain how life began on Earth?

Scientists have developed a new form of 'chemical search engine' which could provide clues to the origins of life on Earth. In a new paper published today (Wednesday 7 October) in the journal Nature , a team from the University of Glasgow's School of Chemistry describe a new approach to solving a 50-year conundrum in which they used an automated robot system to explore many different random combinations of the building blocks of proteins. The team found that peptide compounds of long length and complexity can form in a very simple way by heating and cooling the building blocks as they go through wet and dry cycles. The research was led by the University's Regius Chair of Chemistry, Professor Lee Cronin. Professor Cronin's group has previously researched methods of creating inorganic life and have also created the 'chemputer', a 3D printer-inspired robot which can synthesize complex chemicals. This new piece of research brings concepts from both projects together. Professor Cronin said: "Proteins are some of the basic building blocks of life, and we've long known that they make up the working machinery of living cells.