title: Prebiotic homochirality as a critical phenomenon.
abstract: The development of prebiotic homochirality on early-Earth or another planetary platform may be viewed as a critical phenomenon. It is shown, in the context of spatio-temporal polymerization reaction networks, that environmental effects--be they temperature surges or other external disruptions--may destroy any net chirality previously produced. In order to understand the emergence of prebiotic homochirality it is important to model the coupling of polymerization reaction networks to different planetary environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Marcelo.Gleiser@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gleiser
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thorarinson
mesh_terms: D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D019419:Evolution, Planetary; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment / Q000737:chemistry*; D000069497:Origin of Life; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers