Journal Publications
(updated Apr 14, 2026)
2026
Terrestrial abiotic synthesis of simple precursor molecules starting from two approaches: The universality of carbon reduction
Eloi Camprubi-Casas, Ben K. D. Pearce, & Martina Preiner
Astrobiology, accepted on Feb 17, 2026
Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly II: Thermodynamic Favorability of Nucleobases, Ribose, and Fatty Acids in Selk Crater on Titan
Ishaan Madan & Ben K. D. Pearce
Planetary Science Journal, accepted on Apr 14, 2026
What it takes to solve the origins of life: An integrated review. Part 2: Theoretical methods and emerging trends
OoLEN, Silke Asche, Carla Bautista, …, Ben K. D. Pearce, et al.
Cell Rep Phys Sci, 7, 103211, 2026
What it takes to solve the origin of life: An integrated review. Part 1–Experimental methods and data repositories
OoLEN, Silke Asche, Carla Bautista, …, Ben K. D. Pearce, et al.
Cell Rep Phys Sci, 7, 103212, 2026
2025
Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly: Thermodynamics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Selk Crater on Titan
Ishaan Madan & Ben K. D. Pearce
Planetary Science Journal, 6, 284, 2025
Deep Mantle–Atmosphere Coupling and Carbonaceous Bombardment: Options for Biomolecule Formation on an Oxidized Early Earth
Klaus Paschek, Thomas Henning, Karan Molaverdikhani, Yoshinori Miyazaki, Ben K. D. Pearce, Ralph Pudritz, & Dmitry Semenov
Astrophysical Journal, 985, 50, 2025
2024
Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance
Shannon MacKenzie, Alexandra Pontefract, Terik Daly, …, Ben K. D. Pearce, Angela Stickle, Steven Vance
Planetary Science Journal, 5, 176, 2024
Prebiotic base-pairing of uracil and 2,6-diaminopurine
Tomislav Stolar, Ben K. D. Pearce, Martin Etter, …, & Luca Grisanti
iScience, 27, 109894, 2024
Towards Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan: Impact experiments on organic haze particles
Ben K. D. Pearce, Sarah Hörst, Chris Cline, Mark Cintala, Chao He, Josh Sebree, Shannon MacKenzie, et al.
Planetary Science Journal, 5, 68, 2024
Organic Hazes as a Source of Life's Building Blocks to Warm Little Ponds on the Hadean Earth
Ben K. D. Pearce, Sarah Hörst, Josh Sebree, & Chao He
Planetary Science Journal, 5, 23, 2024
2022
An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere
Ben K. D. Pearce, Chao He, & Sarah Hörst
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 6, 2385–2399, 2022
Meteorites and the RNA World: Synthesis of Nucleobases in Carbonaceous Planetesimals and the Role of Initial Volatile Content
Klaus Paschek, Dmitry Semenov, Ben K. D. Pearce, Kevin Lange, Thomas Henning, & Ralph Pudritz
Astrophysical Journal, 942, 50, 2022
Toward RNA life on Early Earth: From atmospheric HCN to biomolecule production in warm little ponds
Ben K. D. Pearce, Karan Molaverdikhani, Ralph Pudritz, Thomas Henning, & Kaitlin Cerrillo
Astrophysical Journal, 932, 1, 2022
Possible Ribose Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals
Klaus Paschek, Kevin Kohler, Ben K. D. Pearce, Kevin Lange, Thomas Henning, Oliver Trapp, Ralph Pudritz, & Dmitry A. Semenov
Life, 12, 404, 2022
2020
CRAHCN-O: A Consistent Reduced Atmospheric Hybrid Chemical Network Oxygen Extension for Hydrogen Cyanide and Formaldehyde Chemistry in CO₂-, N₂-, H₂O-, CH₄-, and H₂-Dominated Atmospheres
Ben K. D. Pearce, Paul Ayers, & Ralph Pudritz
Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 124, 8594–8606, 2020
HCN Production in Titan's Atmosphere: Coupling Quantum Chemistry and Disequilibrium Atmospheric Modeling
Ben K. D. Pearce, Kaveh Molaverdikhani, Ralph Pudritz, Thomas Henning, & Eric Hébrard
Astrophysical Journal, 901, 110, 2020
2019
Meteoritic Abundances of Fatty Acids and Potential Reaction Pathways in Planetesimals
J. C.-Y. Lai, Ben K. D. Pearce, Ralph Pudritz, & Drake Lee
Icarus, 319, 685–700, 2019
A Consistent Reduced Network for HCN Chemistry in Early Earth and Titan Atmospheres: Quantum Calculations of Reaction Rate Coefficients
Ben K. D. Pearce, Paul Ayers, & Ralph Pudritz
Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 123, 1861–1873, 2019
2018
Constraining the Time Interval for the Origin of Life on Earth
Ben K. D. Pearce, Andrew Tupper, Ralph Pudritz, & Paul Higgs
Astrobiology, 18, 343–364, 2018
2017
Origin of the RNA World: The Fate of Nucleobases in Warm Little Ponds
Ben K. D. Pearce, Ralph Pudritz, Dmitry Semenov, & Thomas Henning
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114, 11327–11332, 2017 (Cozzarelli Prize Winner)
2016
Meteorites and the RNA World: A Thermodynamic Model of Nucleobase Synthesis within Planetesimals
Ben K. D. Pearce & Ralph Pudritz
Astrobiology, 16, 853–872, 2016
2015
Nature’s Starships II: Simulating the Synthesis of Amino Acids in Meteorite Parent Bodies
Alyssa Cobb, Ralph Pudritz, & Ben K. D. Pearce
Astrophysical Journal, 809, 6, 2015
Seeding the Pregenetic Earth: Meteoritic Abundances of Nucleobases and Potential Reaction Pathways
Ben K. D. Pearce & Ralph E. Pudritz
Astrophysical Journal, 807, 85, 2015