Rethinking "Prebiotic Chemistry"

In origins-of-life research, the term “prebiotic chemistry” is commonly used to describe processes thought to be related to or required for the emergence of life. However, it suffers from several potential drawbacks that have caused the present group of authors to rethink their usage of the term. In this perspective paper, we examine the conventional usage of “prebiotic chemistry” and explore how it could be a misleading phrase. First, “prebiotic chemistry” suggests that the emergence of life can be understood purely through solving puzzles that fall strictly under the traditional purview of chemistry, which contrasts with many modern hypotheses that the phenomenon of life must be understood through physical, information theoretic, and computational lenses. Second, “prebiotic chemistry” invokes a teleological bent that conflates the separate notions of “chemistry that happens on an abiotic world before life” and “chemistry that happens on an abiotic world on the way to life.” We end by suggesting that an alternative term, “protobiotic processes,” could be used instead of “prebiotic chemistry” when referring to any process that is assumed to contribute directly to life's emergence.