This week we have 40 new papers relevant to the origins of life. Enjoy!

Please note that inclusion of these papers reflects topic, not quality, and that evaluating scientific merit is out of scope for this newsletter.

AI-detection tools (e.g. Pangram) can also be useful when first assessing new publications.

Astrobiology

SETI's blind spot: Technological Acceleration and fleeting technosignatures
Garrett — preprint

Mineral biosignature identification from Raman spectroscopy using machine learning
Li et al. — PNAS Nexus

Iron microbialites from an acidic Martian analog (Río Tinto, Spain)—Implications for finding life on Mars
Pei et al. — GSA Bulletin

Biological Validation and Agnostic Experiments for Extant and Extinct Microbial Life within the Martian Subsurface
Perl et al. — Astrobiology

Archival Diagnostics for Potential Background Contaminantsof Project Hephaistos Dyson Sphere Candidates
Ren et al. — preprint

Insights into the Possible Composition of a Martian Biota
Schopf — Astrobiology

A Pressure-Supported Pneumatic Architecture for Robust Deep Drilling on Mars: Performance Modeling, Sizing, and Mission Integration
Tosi et al. — Astrobiology

A Narrowband Technosignature Search toward the Hycean Candidate K2-18 b Using the VLA and MeerKAT
Tremblay et al. — The Astronomical Journal

Project Hephaistos -- IV. James Webb Space Telescope Observations of Two Dyson Sphere Candidates
Zackrisson et al. — preprint

Astrochemistry

Experimental astrochemistry and machine learning unravel the formation of oxygen-bearing organic molecules in extraterrestrial ices
Bai et al. — Communications Chemistry

Supernova Neutrinos and the Origin of Biomolecular Homochirality
Jannat et al. — preprint

Astrophysics

Helium escaping from the atmosphere of a nearby rocky exoplanet orbiting in a habitable zone
Cherubim et al. — Science

The exozodi spectral effect: Residual habitable zone dust may bias exoEarth characterization
Currie et al. — preprint

Modeling the Impact of Starspot Inhomogeneity on Spectroscopic Retrievals of Directly-Imaged Planets
Howe et al. — preprint

The Expected Yield of Venus Zone Terrestrial Planets from PLATO
Kane et al. — preprint

Biosignature detectability on transiting habitable worlds with ELT/ANDES
Kurzawa-Ferrandez et al. — preprint

Piercing through the Haze: Characterizing Titan-like terrestrial exoplanets with JWST
Mayorga et al. — The Astronomical Journal

Exoplanets: The Search for Earth’s Twin
Murdin

Sulfur photochemistry observationally traces mantle redox states of rocky planets
Panagiotou et al. — preprint

A Window for Water-hydrogen Demixing on Warm Metal-rich Sub-Neptunes
Piaulet-Ghorayeb et al. — The Astrophysical Journal

Biochemistry

A ribozyme ligase that requires a 3′ terminal phosphate on its RNA substrate
Biswas et al. — Nature Communications

Effects of Chemically Activated L-Nucleotides on Nonenzymatic RNA Copying
Essex et al. — preprint

Photosystem I-independent oxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria
Ludwiczak et al. — Nature Communications

RNA and proteins joined up at the Origins of Life: Persistence is the point
Swailem et al. — preprint

Resurrecting tRNAs of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (Commonote) Toward Rebuilding the Ancient Translation System
Yamanouchi et al. — Journal of Molecular Evolution

Chemistry

Breaking Kinetic Symmetry: How Wet–Dry Cycling Ratchets Prebiotic Chemistry Far from Equilibrium
Capera-Aragones et al. — preprint

Diverging Mineral Chemistry of Iron and Nickel Throughout Earth’s Changing Redox Conditions Reveals Foundation for Their Evolution as Protein Cofactors
Jelen et al. — Life

Cation competition and low pH protect protocell membranes from divalent cation disruption
Lowe et al. — preprint

Coordination-Dependent Effects of Non-Monovalent Cations on Fatty Acid Bilayers
Lowe et al. — preprint

The role of minerals in prebiotic evolution: Implications for identifying worlds with the potential for life’s origin
Lu et al. — Fundamental Research

From Hydrothermal Vents to Ocean Worlds: the Prebiotic Chemistry of Ketene
Pandya et al. — preprint

Microbiology

Rising from the fragments: a multi-factorial regulatory framework of DNA damage response in Deinococcus radiodurans
Anaganti et al. — Extremophiles

Microbial Ecology of the Heterogeneous Terrestrial Deep Biosphere Over 4 years in the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO)
Osburn et al. — Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

Cultivation of halophilic archaea in shallow subsurface martian conditions has implications for extant life on Mars
Robinson et al. — preprint

Planetary Sciences

Cradle of Life: From the Formation of Stars to Habitable Worlds with the SKAO
Bianchi et al. — preprint

The Barnard’s Star planetary system: stability, composition, and evolution of four sub-Earth exoplanets
Byrne et al. — Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

When Stabilizing Feedbacks Wreak Havoc in Habitable Planets: Chaos at the Freezing Point in a Four-Feedback Climate Model
Langbert et al. — preprint

Atmospheric evolution through outgassing and escape on young molten rocky exoplanets
Postolec et al. — preprint

Shelf-invading low-oxygen waters control Cenozoic organic carbon burial rates
Rickaby et al. — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Evolution and Observable Properties of Rocky Planet Atmospheres
Steinmeyer et al. — Space Science Reviews