Membraneless protocell confined by a heat flowAlexander Floroni, Noël Yeh Martín, Thomas Matreux, Laura I. Weise, Sheref S. Mansy, Hannes Mutschler, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun, Nature Physics https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-02935-4 (2025) LMU press release
Amino acids catalyse RNA formation under ambient alkaline conditionsSaroj K. Rout, Sreekar Wunnava, Miroslav Krepl, Giuseppe Cassone, Judit E. Šponer, Christof B. Mast, Matthew W. Powner and Dieter Braun, Nature Communications 16:5193, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60359-3 (2025) LMU press release
Selection of Early Life Codons by Ultraviolet LightCorinna L. Kufner, Stefan Krebs, Marlis Fischaleck, Julia Philippou-Massier, Helmut Blum, Dominik B. Bucher, Dieter Braun, Wolfgang Zinth & Christof B. Mast, ACS Central Science 11, 1, 147–156, doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.4c01623 (2025)
Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistryThomas Matreux, Almuth Schmid, Mechthild Rappold, Daniel Weller, Ayşe Zeynep Çalışkanoğlu, Kelsey R. Moore, Tanja Bosak, Donald B. Dingwell, Konstantin Karaghiosoff, François Guyot, Bettina Scheu, Dieter Braun & Christof B. Mast, Nature Communications doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57110-3 (2025)
Prebiotic Gas Flow Environment Enables Isothermal Nucleic Acid ReplicationPhilipp Schwintek, Emre Eren, Christof Mast and Dieter Braun, eLife doi.org/10.7554/eLife.100152 (2024) LMU Press release
Heat flows enrich prebiotic building blocks and enhance their reactivityThomas Matreux, Paula Aikkila, Bettina Scheu, Dieter Braun and Christof B. Mast
, Nature doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07193-7 (2024)
In german: Welt der Physik Bild der Wissenschaft Geo Magazin Spektrum Deutschlandfunk Merkur TZ
In english: Washington Post New Scientist Newsweek LMU press release Origins cluster press release Arstechnica Space daily Phys.org Astrobiology IDW Singularity hub
In other languages: SINC (ES) ZAP (PT) Pour la Science (FR) Quibit (HU) Pulsar (PL) Sveriges Radio (SE) Videnskab (DK) Haaretz (IL) Hankyung (KR) Yonhap (KR)
PREPRINT: Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistry doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.06.606769 (2024)
Heat-Flow-Driven Nonequilibria for Prebiotic ChemistryChristof B. Mast, ChemSystemsChem doi.org/10.1002/syst.202400039 (2024)
High-Fidelity RNA Copying via 2′,3′-Cyclic Phosphate LigationAdriana C. Serrão, Sreekar Wunnava, Avinash V. Dass, Lennard Ufer, Philipp Schwintek, Christof B. Mast, and Dieter Braun, JACS doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c10813 (2024) LMU Press release
Sequence self-selection by cyclic phase separationGiacomo Bartolucci, Adriana Calaça Serrão, Philipp Schwintek, Alexandra Kühnlein, Yash Rana, Philipp Janto, Dorothea Hofer, Christof B. Mast, Dieter Braun and Christoph A. Weber, PNAS 120 (43) e2218876120 (2023)
Thermophoresis beyond Local Thermodynamic EquilibriumDaniel B. Mayer, Thomas Franosch, Christof Mast, and Dieter Braun, Physical Review Letters 130, 168202 doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.168202
Sequence dependent UV damage of complete pools of oligonucleotidesCorinna L. Kufner, Stefan Krebs, Marlis Fischaleck, Julia Philippou-Massier, Helmut Blum, Dominik B. Bucher, Dieter Braun, Wolfgang Zinth and Christof B. Mast, Scientific Reports doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29833-0 (2023)
Formation mechanism of thermally controlled pH gradientsThomas Matreux, Bernhard Altaner, Johannes Raith, Dieter Braun, Christof Mast and Ulrich Gerland, Communications Physics doi.org/10.1038/s42005-023-01126-y (2023)
Physical non-equilibria for prebiotic nucleic acid chemistry [PDF]Alan Ianeselli, Annalena Salditt, Christof Mast, Barbara Ercolano, Corinna Kufner, Bettina Scheu and Dieter Braun, Nature Review Physics doi.org/10.1038/s42254-022-00550-3 (2023)
A heated rock crack captures and polymerizes primordial DNA and RNAChristina Dirscherl, Alan Ianeselli, Damla Tetiker, Thomas Matreux, Robbin Queener, Christof Mast and Dieter Braun, PCCP doi.org/10.1039/D2CP04538A (2023)
Prebiotic foam environments to oligomerize and accumulate RNAEmre Tekin; Annalena Salditt; Philipp Schwintek; Sree Wunnava; Juliette Langlais; James Saenz; Dora Tang; Petra Schwille; Christof Mast; Dieter Braun, ChemBioChem doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202200423 (2022)
RNA Oligomerisation without Added Catalyst from 2′,3′‑cyclic Nucleotides by Drying at Air‑Water InterfacesAvinash Vicholous Dass, Sreekar Wunnava, Juliette Langlais, Beatriz von der Esch, Maik Krusche, Lennard Ufer, Nico Chrisam, Romeo C. A. Dubini, Florian Gartner, Severin Angerpointner, Christina F. Dirscherl, Petra Rovó, Christof B. Mast, Judit E. Šponer, Christian Ochsenfeld, Erwin Frey, Dieter Braun, ChemSystemsChem doi.org/10.1002/syst.202200026 (2022)
Water cycles in a Hadean CO2 atmosphere drive the evolution of long DNAAlan Ianeselli, Miguel Atienza, Patrick Kudella, Ulrich Gerland, Christof Mast & Dieter Braun, Nature Physics doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01516-z (2022)
LMU Press release New&Views: Mist and replication
Non-equilibrium conditions inside rock pores drive fission, maintenance and selection of coacervate protocellsAlan Ianeselli, Damla Tetiker, Julian Stein, Alexandra Kühnlein, Christof B. Mast, Dieter Braun, T.-Y. Dora Tang, Nature Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00830-y (2021)
Heat flows in rock cracks naturally optimize salt compositions for ribozymesT. Matreux, K. Le Vay, A. Schmid, P. Aikkila, L. Belohlavek, A. Z. Çalışkanoğlu, E. Salibi, A. Kühnlein, C. Springsklee, B. Scheu, D. B. Dingwell, D. Braun, H. Mutschler, C. B. Mast, Nature Chemistry doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00772-5 (2021)
Thermal Habitat for RNA Amplification and AccumulationAnnalena Salditt, Lorenz M. R. Keil, David P. Horning, Christof B. Mast, Gerald F. Joyce, and Dieter Braun
Physical Review Letters 125, 048104 (2020), doi:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.048104
See also: A Jumpstart for Biochemistry
Heated gas bubbles enrich, crystallize, dry, phosphorylate and encapsulate prebiotic moleculesM. Morasch, J. Liu, C.F. Dirscherl, A. Ianeselli, A. Kühnlein, K. Le Vay, P. Schwintek, S. Islam, M.K. Corpinot, B. Scheu, D.B. Dingwell, P. Schwille, H. Mutschler, M.W. Powner, C.B. Mast & D. Braun
Nature Chemistry (2019), doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0299-5
Highlight Nature, Chemistry Community, LMU Press Release
Periodic Melting of Oligonucleotides by Oscillating Salt Concentrations triggered by Microscale Water Cycles inside Heated Rock PoresAlan Ianeselli, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun
Angewandte Chemie (2019), doi.org/10.1002/ange.201907909
Optochemical disequilibrium to measure biomolecule chargeFriederike M. Möller, Michael Kieß, Christof Mast and Dieter Braun
Physical Review E 98, 062601 (2018) doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.98.062601
Proton Gradient and pH oscillations emerge from heat flow at the microscaleLorenz Keil, Friederike Möller, Michael Kieß, Patrick Kudella and Christof Mast
Nature Communication 8, 1897 (2017)
doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02065-3
Emergence of Life from Trapped Nucleotides? Non-Equilibrium Behavior of Oligonucleotides in Thermal GradientsEmil Dandanell Agerschou, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun Synlett (2017)
doi:10.1055/s-0036-1588653
Heat-Flow-Driven Oligonucleotide Gelation Separates Single-Base DifferencesMatthias Morasch, Dieter Braun, and Christof B. Mast
Angewandte Chemie (2016) doi:10.1002/anie.201603779
Dry polymerization of 3',5'-cyclic GMP to long strands of RNAMatthias Morasch, Christof Mast, Johannes Langer, Pierre Schilcher and Dieter Braun,
ChemBioChem 15, 879–883 (2014), doi: 10.1002/cbic.201300773
Übersichtsartikel: Lebendiges NichtgleichgewichtChristof Mast, Friederike M. Möller und Dieter Braun
Physik Journal 10, 29 (2013)[PDF]
RadioWissen broadcast on the Origin of Life [22Min.]
Escalation of Polymerization in a Thermal GradientChristof B. Mast, Severin Schink, Ulrich Gerland and Dieter Braun
PNAS 110, 8030-8035 (2013), doi:10.1073/pnas.1303222110 [PDF]
Beitrag im Deutschlandfunk
Thermal Solutions for Molecular EvolutionChristof B. Mast, Natan Osterman and Dieter Braun,
International Journal of Modern Physics B doi: 10.1142/S0217979212300174 (2012)
Optical Fluid and Biomolecule Transport with Thermal Fields [PDF]Franz M. Weinert, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun
PCCP doi 10.1039/C0CP02359K (2011)
Disequilibrium First: The Origin of LifeChristof B. Mast, Natan Osterman and Dieter Braun
Journal of Cosmology 10, 3305-3314 (2010)
Thermal Trap for DNA Replication [PDF]Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun
Physical Review Letters 104, 188102 (2010)
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