Sustainability and Chaos in the Abiotic Polymerization of 3’,5’ Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate: The Role of Aggregation

The front cover artwork is provided by Judit Šponer (Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences). The image shows that polymerization of H‐form 3’,5’ cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) exhibits an oscillatory behavior when studying the reaction on longer time scales (of several days). Domains of the material, differing in the level of hydration, interlock like pieces of a puzzle, resulting in a complex chemical system working far from equilibrium. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/syst.202000011. “Formation of the first oligonucleotide sequences from nucleotide precursors without a template and enzymes is one of the most challenging questions surrounding the origin of life on our planet. Heat treatment of 3’,5’ cyclic guanosine monophosphate has been suggested as a plausible solution for this problem. After the initial report 10 years ago, more and more interesting details come to light about this exciting chemistry. For example, when following the reaction on time scales of several days, the yield of oligomer production oscillates…” This and more about the story behind the front cover can be found in the Article at 10.1002/syst.202000011.