Reasons why life on Earth rarely makes fluorine-containing compounds and their implications for the search for life beyond Earth

Abstract Life on Earth is known to rarely make fluorinated carbon compounds, as compared to other halocarbons. We quantify this rarity, based on our exhaustive natural products database curated from available literature. We build on explanations for the scarcity of fluorine chemistry in life on Eart...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Janusz J. Petkowski, Sara Seager, William Bains
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66265-w