What it takes to solve the origin of life: An integrated review. Part 1–Experimental methods and data repositories

<h2>Summary</h2> The origin(s) of life (OoL), which has puzzled scientists for centuries, remains a major scientific challenge in the 21st century. Research on OoL spans many disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, planetary sciences, computer science, and mathematics. The sheer number of different scientific perspectives relevant to the problem has resulted in the coexistence of diverse tools, techniques, data, and software in OoL studies. This has made communication between the disciplines relevant to the OoL extremely difficult because the interpretation of data, analyses, or standards of evidence varies dramatically. Here, we hope to bridge this wide field of study by providing common ground via the consolidation of techniques rather than positing a unifying view on how life emerges. In part 1 of this review, we cover common experimental techniques that have been used significantly in OoL studies in recent years, while in part 2, we review theoretical, computational, and integrative methods. Here, we discuss the use of spectroscopy, spectrometry, chromatography, microscopy, and sequencing methods for characterizing diverse materials. We further discuss the role of data repositories in facilitating the analysis and dissemination of experimental data. This review provides a baseline expectation and understanding of the analytical aspects of origins' research. Ultimately, we aim to provide an educational tool that can facilitate more post-disciplinary collaborations in OoL research by helping scientists understand what they can do about the problem of life's origins, rather than telling them how to think about it.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Cell Reports Physical Science
Published
2026-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103212
Primary Topic
Origins and Evolution of Life
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

What it takes to solve the origin of life: An integrated review. Part 1–Experimental methods and data repositories

Yuliia Orlova, Martina Preiner, Cole Mathis, Zhen Peng et al.
Cell Reports Physical Science
Origins and Evolution of Life
article

What it takes to solve the origin of life: An integrated review. Part 1–Experimental methods and data repositories

Yuliia Orlova, Martina Preiner, Cole Mathis, Zhen Peng, Siddhant Sharma, Valentina Erastova, Loraine Schwander, Tony Z. Jia, Ryo Mizuuchi, Eloi Camprubí, Artemy Kolchinsky, Ghjuvan Micaelu Grimaud, David Boulesteix, Avinash Vicholous Dass, Carla Bautista, Enrico Sandro Colizzi, Klaus Paschek, Stuart A. Harrison, Omer Markovitch, Silvana Pinna, Silke Asche, Hannah Dromiack, Joana C. Xavier, Alexandre Champagne-Ruel, Amit Kahana, Andrey Vieira, Alyssa Adams, Stephanie Colón-Santos, Eduardo Rodríguez-Román, Odin Moron-Garcia, Ben K.D. Pearce, Amanda Garcia, Aaron Halpern, Harrison B. Smith, Jingbo Nan, Celia Blanco, Seán F. Jordan
article en

Abstract

<h2>Summary</h2> The origin(s) of life (OoL), which has puzzled scientists for centuries, remains a major scientific challenge in the 21st century. Research on OoL spans many disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, planetary sciences, computer science, and mathematics. The sheer number of different scientific perspectives relevant to the problem has resulted in the coexistence of diverse tools, techniques, data, and software in OoL studies. This has made communication between the disciplines relevant to the OoL extremely difficult because the interpretation of data, analyses, or standards of evidence varies dramatically. Here, we hope to bridge this wide field of study by providing common ground via the consolidation of techniques rather than positing a unifying view on how life emerges. In part 1 of this review, we cover common experimental techniques that have been used significantly in OoL studies in recent years, while in part 2, we review theoretical, computational, and integrative methods. Here, we discuss the use of spectroscopy, spectrometry, chromatography, microscopy, and sequencing methods for characterizing diverse materials. We further discuss the role of data repositories in facilitating the analysis and dissemination of experimental data. This review provides a baseline expectation and understanding of the analytical aspects of origins' research. Ultimately, we aim to provide an educational tool that can facilitate more post-disciplinary collaborations in OoL research by helping scientists understand what they can do about the problem of life's origins, rather than telling them how to think about it.

Cell Reports Physical ScienceVol. 7(4)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), University of Lisbon (PT), Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (IE), Johns Hopkins University (US), Emory University (US), Waseda University (JP), Institute of Science and Technology Austria (AT), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (VE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Linnaeus University (SE), University of Cambridge (GB), University College Cork (IE), Sainsbury Laboratory (GB), The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (US), Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (US), Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (FR), Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology (CN), Estacion Experimental de Zonas Aridas (ES), CentraleSupélec (FR), Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE), Life Science Institute (JP), APC Microbiome Institute (IE), Blue Marble Space (US), Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (US), Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology (DE), Dublin City University (IE), Université Laval (CA), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE), University College London (GB), Imperial College London (GB), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (NL), Arizona State University (US), Université de Montréal (CA), University of Glasgow (GB), McMaster University (CA), University of Edinburgh (GB)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, John Templeton Foundation, University of Texas System, “la Caixa” Foundation, Fondation J. Armand Bombardier, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Universität Heidelberg, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Origins and Evolution of Life
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.