The formation of RNA components on prebiotic Earth was a crucial step in the origin of life. Understanding how these components emerged under abiotic conditions has been a fundamental challenge for researchers in prebiotic chemistry. This review introduces key investigations on the chemical synthesis of RNA components and significant recent advances in their geochemical formation. Traditionally, the synthesis of RNA components has predominantly relied on stepwise chemical reactions involving highly reactive molecules. These methods require tightly controlled laboratory conditions and chemicals that are unlikely to have existed on early Earth. In contrast, recent research has adopted geochemical approaches, focusing on chemical reactions that could naturally occur in prebiotic environments. This approach has uncovered plausible pathways for the abiotic formation of organic molecules, including non-canonical RNA components, using conditions and substrates consistent with early Earth scenarios. The transition from stepwise synthetic methods to geochemical models marks a significant shift in prebiotic chemistry. This shift may not only bridge gaps between experimental and natural conditions but also provide a foundation for future studies to explore the complex chemistry that could have led to life on Earth.

  Nutrients are needed for all organisms including cancer. Competition over nutrients is crucial for cancer cells being surrounded by normal cells, especially when they spread from the primary site. As noted by Otto Warburg, cancer displays metabolic flexibility in harsh microenvironments where nutrient availability is limited [1]. Despite numerous efforts to understand this flexibility [2], little attention has been paid to the possibility that cancer cells might utilize substrates that are unusable for normal cells as alternative nutrients [3]. _L-glucose was thought to be non-existent in terrestrial surface. Even when administered, mammals take it up only minimally. Furthermore, even if it were taken up into cells, it could not be metabolized. Thus, _L-glucose was considered as an unusable sugar [4]. In 2010, researchers found that spheroid-forming, cancer stem-like tumor cells, which expressed features indicative of high-grade malignancy, took up fluorescent dye-tagged analogue of not only _D-glucose but also _L-glucose [5, 6]. Almost at the same time, a bacterial species that metabolized _L-glucose to pyruvate was found [7]. Similar bacteria appear to spread across phyla. Recent reports demonstrated bacterial residents in cancer cells of patients [8, 9]. These stories progress in tandem and have yet to link up. Our knowledge regarding glucose uptake and metabolism is still insufficient, particularly when energy is highly demanded as in tumorigenesis [3]. The least available sugar _L-glucose provides a unique suggestion towards understanding of survival tactics used by malignant neoplasms that seek nutrients to proliferate.