MyCyte

Matthew Levy has found that the chemical reactions which may have synthesized prebiotic compounds could have occurred through a process called eutectic freezing. Eutectic freezing involves freezing water out of solution and thereby increasing the concentration of potential reactants. The increased concentration of reactants equates to an increase in the number of reactions. This is especially true for the small molecules, like cyanide, that easily self-assemble into larger molecules.

Levy and friends' abstract on these findings can be found here.

The Discover.com article on this topic can be found here .