Dresden 2017 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 20: Posters - Physics of the Genesis of Life (Focus Session)

BP 20.11: Poster

Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 14:00–16:00, P1A

Strong accumulation in a 3D printed thermal trap — •Matthias Morasch, Jonathan Liu, Christof B. Mast, and Dieter Braun — Systems Biophysics, Physics Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstrasse 54, 80799 München, Germany

Thermogravitational traps were shown to be a plausible solution for the concentration problem of the origin of life (1,2,3). In order to simulate the conditions in porous rock more closely, we developed a new microfluidic chamber in which we can accumulate molecules with full optical readout and a wide range of geometries.

Using this technique, we could show a strong accumulation of DNA at water-air interfaces (4). A combination of capillary flow and continuous evaporation-condensation cycles of water pushes the molecules towards the meniscus of the interface, reaching up to 1000-fold accumulation. This robust mechanism may be common for many naturally occurring fluid systems and therefore lead to an accumulation of various kinds of molecules.

In addition, we use the technique to grow crystals from RNA precursor materials inside the chamber. Our goal is to grow a small amount of single, pure crystals from a racemic mixture and measure the chirality of these crystals inside the chamber. We hereby aim to show a plausible scenario for a symmetry breaking process in water-filled porous rocks.

(1) Braun & Libchaber, PRL 89, 188103 (2002) (2) C. B. Mast et al., PNAS 110, 8030-8035 (2013) (3) M. Kreysing et al., Nat. Chem. 7, 203-208 (2015) (4) J. Liu et al., under review