Brines and the Emergence of Life: Investigating Solar System–Relevant Saltwater Environments

Explaining the origins of life on Earth has occupied diverse scientific communities for decades, from investigations of deep-sea hydrothermal vents to brine inclusions in sea ice and tidal pools and coastal lagoons. Across these settings, saltwater is thought to have contributed several mechanisms relevant to life’s emergence, including the establishment of proton gradients, the provision of dissolved minerals for early metabolism, structural stabilization through salt bridging, and the hydration shells required for biomolecules to maintain their organization in aqueous environments. This Research Topic examines the mechanisms by which saltwater may have facilitated the emergence of life on Earth, and considers their potential relevance to other planetary bodies.Brines occur throughout the solar system, and understanding their role in prebiotic processes extends the study of habitability beyond Earth to icy moons, asteroids, and other planetary environments. Although life is known to have emerged only on Earth, examining how saline conditions elsewhere might support similar processes offers a more rigorous test of the mechanisms proposed for life’s origin. Research on brines, habitability, and the origins of life spans multiple disciplines that are frequently pursued in isolation; this thematic collection of papers seeks to consolidate these perspectives into a single, interdisciplinary resource. Bringing them together may reveal connections between planetary environments and the processes underlying life’s emergence that are not readily apparent within any single discipline, and may contribute to a more integrated framework for evaluating the role of brine environments in the origin of life.This Research Topic will address the physicochemical properties of brines that promote or constrain prebiotic chemistry, biomolecular formation, and the transition from abiotic chemistry to biological organization. By drawing on experimental, computational, geochemical, and planetary approaches, the collection aims to identify common mechanisms through which brine environments influence the chemical pathways associated with life’s emergence. Contributions are welcome on topics including, but not limited to:• The effects of brine composition, concentration, water activity, and environmental cycling on prebiotic reactions• Biomolecular stability, synthesis, and polymerization in saline environments• Mineral–brine interactions relevant to prebiotic chemistry• Microbial and extremophile adaptation to saline environments• Preservation and detection of biosignatures in brines and evaporite deposits• Terrestrial analog studies informing extraterrestrial brine environments• The formation, persistence, and habitability of brines on Mars, icy moons, asteroids, and other planetary bodies.Collectively, these contributions are expected to advance current understanding of the diverse roles brine environments play in the origin, persistence, and detection of life. Topic editors: Vincent Chevrier, Merve Yeşilbaş, María-Paz Zorzano Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85347/brines-and-the-emergence-of-life-investigating-solar-system-relevant-saltwater-environments