Journal Publications

(updated Dec 9, 2025)

[18] Madan, I., & Pearce, B. K. D. (2025) Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly: Thermodynamics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Selk Crater on Titan. Planet. Sci. J. 6, 284.

[17] Paschek, K., Henning, T. K., Molaverdikhani, K., Miyazaki, Y., Pearce, B. K. D., Pudritz, R. E., & Semenov, D. A. (2025) Deep Mantle–Atmosphere Coupling and Carbonaceous Bombardment: Options for Biomolecule Formation on an Oxidized Early Earth. Astrophys. J. 985, 50.

[16] MacKenzie, S., Pontefract, A., Daly, R. T., …, Pearce, B. K. D., Stickle. A., M., & Vance, S. D. (2024) Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance. Planet. Sci. J. 5, 176.

[15] Pearce, B. K. D., Hörst, S. M., Cline, C. J., Cintala, M. J., He, C., Sebree, J. A., MacKenzie, S. M., Daly, R. T., Pontefract, A. J., & Pesciotta, C. (2024) Towards Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan: Impact experiments on organic haze particles. Planet. Sci. J., 5, 68.

[14] Pearce, B. K. D., Hörst, S. M., Sebree, J. A., & He, Chao (2024) Organic Hazes as a Source of Life's Building Blocks to Warm Little Ponds on the Hadean Earth. Planet. Sci. J., 5, 23.

[13] Pearce, B. K. D., He, Chao, & Hörst, S. M. (2022) An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere. ACS Earth Space Chem. 6, 2385–2399. PDF

[12] Paschek, K., Semenov, D. A., Pearce, B. K. D., Lange, K., Henning, Th., & Pudritz, R. E. (2022) Meteorites and the RNA World: Synthesis of Nucleobases in Carbonaceous Planetesimals and the Role of Initial Volatile Content. Astrophys J, 942, 50

[11] Pearce, B. K. D., Molaverdikhani, K., Pudritz, R. E., Henning, Th., & Cerrillo, K. E. (2022) Toward RNA life on Early Earth: From atmospheric HCN to biomolecule production in warm little ponds. Astrophys. J., 932, 1. PDF

[10] Paschek, K., Kohler, K., Pearce, B. K. D., Lange, K., Henning, Th., Trapp, O., Pudritz, R. E., & Semenov, D. A. (2022) Possible Ribose Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals. Life, 12, 404.

[9] Pearce, B. K. D., Ayers, P. W., & Pudritz, R. E. (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. J Phys Chem A, 124, 8594–8606. PDF

[8] Pearce, B. K. D., Molaverdikhani, K., Pudritz, R. E., Henning, Th., & Hébrard, E. (2020) HCN production in Titan's Atmosphere: Coupling quantum chemistry and disequilibrium atmospheric modeling. Astrophys J., 901, 110. PDF

[7] Lai, J. C.-Y., Pearce, B. K. D., Pudritz, R. E., & Lee, D. (2019) Meteoritic Abundances of Fatty Acids and Potential Reaction Pathways in Planetesimals. Icarus, 319, 685–700.

[6] Pearce, B. K. D., Ayers, P. W., & Pudritz, R. E. (2019) A Consistent Reduced Network for HCN Chemistry in Early Earth and Titan Atmospheres: Quantum Calculations of Reaction Rate Coefficients. J Phys Chem A, 123, 1861–1873. PDF

[5] Pearce, B. K. D., Tupper, A. S., Pudritz, R. E., & Higgs, P. G. (2018) Constraining the Time Interval for the Origin of Life on Earth. Astrobiology, 18, 343–364. PDF

[4] Pearce, B. K. D., Pudritz, R. E., Semenov, D. A., & Henning, Th. (2017) Origin of the RNA World: The Fate of Nucleobases in Warm Little Ponds. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 114, 11327–11332 (Cozzarelli Prize Winner)

[3] Pearce, B. K. D., & Pudritz, R. E. (2016) Meteorites and the RNA World: A Thermodynamic Model of Nucleobase Synthesis within Planetesimals. Astrobiology, 16, 853–872

[2] Cobb, A. K., Pudritz, R. E., & Pearce, B. K. D. (2015) Nature’s Starships II. Simulating the Synthesis of Amino Acids in Meteorite Parent Bodies. Astrophys J, 809, 6.

[1] Pearce, B. K. D., & Pudritz, R. E. (2015) Seeding the Pregenetic Earth: Meteoritic Abundances of Nucleobases and Potential Reaction Pathways. Astrophys J, 807, 85