Mathis-Group Arizona State University

Research

The Mathis Group studies the origin of living systems, and life detection. We also hope to use the insights and tools we develop to better understand the future of our planet and ourselves. We’re just getting started. Below you can find previously published manuscripts from PI Cole Mathis. Check back soon to keep up!

Highlighted

Life detection in a universe of false positives
Life detection in a universe of false positives
Harrison B. Smith, Cole Mathis
BioEssays  ·  11 Oct 2023  ·  doi:10.1002/bies.202300050
Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry
Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry
Stuart M. Marshall, Cole Mathis, Emma Carrick, Graham Keenan, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, …, Matthew Craven, Piotr S. Gromski, Douglas G. Moore, Sara. I. Walker, Leroy Cronin
Nature Communications  ·  24 May 2021  ·  doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23258-x

All

2024

Investigating and Quantifying Molecular Complexity Using Assembly Theory and Spectroscopy
Investigating and Quantifying Molecular Complexity Using Assembly Theory and Spectroscopy
Michael Jirasek, Abhishek Sharma, Jessica R. Bame, S. Hessam M. Mehr, Nicola Bell, …, Alasdair MacLeod, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Marcel Swart, Rosa Mollfulleda, Leroy Cronin
ACS Central Science  ·  18 Apr 2024  ·  doi:10.1021/acscentsci.4c00120

2023

False Positives and the Challenge of Testing the Alien Hypothesis
False Positives and the Challenge of Testing the Alien Hypothesis
Searra Foote, Pritvik Sinhadc, Cole Mathis, Sara Imari Walker
Astrobiology  ·  01 Nov 2023  ·  doi:10.1089/ast.2023.0005
Life detection in a universe of false positives
Life detection in a universe of false positives
Harrison B. Smith, Cole Mathis
BioEssays  ·  11 Oct 2023  ·  doi:10.1002/bies.202300050
What it takes to solve the Origin(s) of Life: An integrated review of techniques
What it takes to solve the Origin(s) of Life: An integrated review of techniques
OoLEN, Silke Asche, Carla Bautista, David Boulesteix, Alexandre Champagne-Ruel, …, Loraine Schwander, Siddhant Sharma, Harrison B. Smith, Andrey Vieira, Joana C. Xavier
arXiv  ·  01 Jan 2023  ·  doi:10.48550/arXiv.2308.11665

2022

Investigating the autocatalytically driven formation of Keggin-based polyoxometalate clusters
Investigating the autocatalytically driven formation of Keggin-based polyoxometalate clusters
David Lockey, Cole Mathis, Haralampos N. Miras, Leroy Cronin
Matter  ·  01 Jan 2022  ·  doi:10.1016/j.matt.2021.11.030

2021

Exploring the sequence space of unknown oligomers and polymers
Exploring the sequence space of unknown oligomers and polymers
David Doran, Emma Clarke, Graham Keenan, Emma Carrick, Cole Mathis, Leroy Cronin
Cell Reports Physical Science  ·  01 Dec 2021  ·  doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2021.100685
Exploring and mapping chemical space with molecular assembly trees
Exploring and mapping chemical space with molecular assembly trees
Yu Liu, Cole Mathis, Michał Dariusz Bajczyk, Stuart M. Marshall, Liam Wilbraham, Leroy Cronin
Science Advances  ·  24 Sep 2021  ·  doi:10.1126/sciadv.abj2465
A robotic prebiotic chemist probes long term reactions of complexifying mixtures
A robotic prebiotic chemist probes long term reactions of complexifying mixtures
Silke Asche, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Graham Keenan, Cole Mathis, Leroy Cronin
Nature Communications  ·  10 Jun 2021  ·  doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23828-z
Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry
Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry
Stuart M. Marshall, Cole Mathis, Emma Carrick, Graham Keenan, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, …, Matthew Craven, Piotr S. Gromski, Douglas G. Moore, Sara. I. Walker, Leroy Cronin
Nature Communications  ·  24 May 2021  ·  doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23258-x

2020

Spontaneous formation of autocatalytic sets with self-replicating inorganic metal oxide clusters
Spontaneous formation of autocatalytic sets with self-replicating inorganic metal oxide clusters
Haralampos N. Miras, Cole Mathis, Weimin Xuan, De-Liang Long, Robert Pow, Leroy Cronin
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  ·  05 May 2020  ·  doi:10.1073/pnas.1921536117

2019

Individual perception dynamics in drunk games
Individual perception dynamics in drunk games
Alberto Antonioni, Luis A. Martinez-Vaquero, Cole Mathis, Leto Peel, Massimo Stella
Physical Review E  ·  28 May 2019  ·  doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.99.052311
Environmental control programs the emergence of distinct functional ensembles from unconstrained chemical reactions
Environmental control programs the emergence of distinct functional ensembles from unconstrained chemical reactions
Andrew J. Surman, Marc Rodriguez-Garcia, Yousef M. Abul-Haija, Geoffrey J. T. Cooper, Piotr S. Gromski, Rebecca Turk-MacLeod, Margaret Mullin, Cole Mathis, Sara I. Walker, Leroy Cronin
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  ·  06 Mar 2019  ·  doi:10.1073/pnas.1813987116
Universal scaling across biochemical networks on Earth
Universal scaling across biochemical networks on Earth
Hyunju Kim, Harrison B. Smith, Cole Mathis, Jason Raymond, Sara I. Walker
Science Advances  ·  04 Jan 2019  ·  doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau0149

2017

Prebiotic RNA Network Formation: A Taxonomy of Molecular Cooperation
Prebiotic RNA Network Formation: A Taxonomy of Molecular Cooperation
Cole Mathis, Sanjay Ramprasad, Sara Walker, Niles Lehman
Life  ·  16 Oct 2017  ·  doi:10.3390/life7040038
The Emergence of Life as a First-Order Phase Transition
The Emergence of Life as a First-Order Phase Transition
Cole Mathis, Tanmoy Bhattacharya, Sara Imari Walker
Astrobiology  ·  01 Mar 2017  ·  doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1481