217 citations · 330 across the 5 of their papers we have counts for
6 papers
An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere
Ben K. D. Pearce, Chao He, Sarah M. Hörst
A critical early stage for the origin of life on Earth may have involved the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a reducing, predominantly H atmosphere. HCN is crucial for…
Possible Ribose Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals
Klaus Paschek, Kai Kohler, Ben K. D. Pearce +5
The origin of life might be sparked by the polymerization of the first RNA molecules in Darwinian ponds during wet-dry cycles. The key life-building block ribose was found in carbo…
A Consistent Reduced Network for HCN Chemistry in Early Earth and Titan Atmospheres: Quantum Calculations of Reaction Rate Coefficients
Ben K. D. Pearce, Paul W. Ayers, Ralph E. Pudritz
HCN is a key ingredient for synthesizing biomolecules such as nucleobases and amino acids. We calculate 42 reaction rate coefficients directly involved with or in competition with…
Constraining the Time Interval for the Origin of Life on Earth
Ben K. D. Pearce, Andrew S. Tupper, Ralph E. Pudritz +1
Estimates of the time at which life arose on Earth make use of two types of evidence. First, astrophysical and geophysical studies provide a timescale for the formation of Earth an…
Origin of the RNA World: The Fate of Nucleobases in Warm Little Ponds
Ben K. D. Pearce, Ralph E. Pudritz, Dmitry A. Semenov +1
Prior to the origin of simple cellular life, the building blocks of RNA (nucleotides) had to form and polymerize in favourable environments on the early Earth. At this time, meteor…
Seeding the Pregenetic Earth: Meteoritic Abundances of Nucleobases and Potential Reaction Pathways
Ben K. D. Pearce, Ralph E. Pudritz
Carbonaceous chondrites are a class of meteorite known for having a high content of water and organics. In this study, abundances of the nucleobases, i.e., the building blocks of R…