Journal profile · Biology
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
ISSN 0169-6149 · eISSN 2948-2976 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1968
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.22; hybrid open access; APC about USD 1,520; median 153 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Origins and Evolution of Life, RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms and Astro and Planetary Science, together about 44.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Discover Life (formerly Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres) is a fully open access, peer-reviewed journal that supports multidisciplinary research and policy developments across all fields relevant to biological and biomedical sciences. The journal aims to be a resource for researchers, policy makers and the general public for recent advances in life science, and its uses in research development and society. As a fully open access journal, we ensure that our research is highly discoverable and instantly available globally to everyone. The journal particularly welcomes work that aims to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially, Good Health and Well-Being; Life below Water, Life on Land. Topics Topics welcomed at Discover Life include all areas of biological research, including experimental, computational, theoretical, and observational studies, but are not limited to the following: Molecular cell biology and genomics Biochemistry and structural biology Cell signaling DNA sequencing Epigenetics Functional genomics Gene expression Genetic variation Genomics Metabolic pathways Proteomics Technological innovations, computational biology, and biophysics Bioinformatics Biological modeling Biotechnology Evolutionary algorithms Genomics tools Imaging techniques Mechanobiology Statistical genetics Systems biology Biomedical sciences Biomarkers Cancer biology Developmental and stem cell biology Disease mechanisms Immunology Neurobiology Translational genomics Microbiology and disease dynamics Antibiotic resistance Bacteriology Host–pathogen interactions Infectious diseases Microbial physiology Mycology Pathogens Virology Zoonotic diseases Physiology, adaptation, and animal science Animal behavior Animal nutrition Animal physiology Ethology Homeostasis Stress responses Thermoregulation Veterinary sciences Zoology Human, animal, and plant interactions Botany Crop science Domestication Ethology Horticultural therapy Plant genetics Plant pathology Wildlife management Biodiversity, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology Adaptation Classification Evolutionary theory Genetic drift Natural selection Paleobiology Phylogenetics Speciation Species discovery Systematics Ecology, ecosystem dynamics, and conservation Biodiversity hotspots Biotic interactions Community ecology Conservation strategies Habitat restoration Habitat studies Population dynamics Sustainable practices Biology, society, and global challenges Bioethics Biology and culture Bio
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Origins and Evolution of LifePhysics and Astronomy27.2%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.2%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy8.2%
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics researchNeuroscience6%
- Space Science and Extraterrestrial LifePhysics and Astronomy4.9%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Planetary Science and ExplorationPhysics and Astronomy4.4%
- Protein Structure and DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCurrent ContentsDOAJPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.22LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.37LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- h-index
- 58LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,184OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 44.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 547,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,735 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9 | 9 | 43 |
| 2022 | 16 | 13 | 117 |
| 2021 | 18 | 11 | 187 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
153 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 118 days – 199 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 187 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (97 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 1,520 / EUR 1,140 / GBP 1,040 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | EUR 1,090 / USD 1,490 / GBP 990 / EUR 1,890 / USD 2,190 / GBP 1,590 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- supplementary material
Article types accepted14
- brief reportWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- case reportWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- case studyWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- clinical trialDiscover journals adopt WHO’s definition of Clinical Trials as “any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or m…Length not stated
- commentComment articles can focus on policy, science and society, or purely scientific issues.Length not stated
- data noteData Notes concisely describe sound research data with the aim of increasing visibility and transparency, supporting the reuse of research data and helping auth…Length not stated
- full research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- matters arisingMatters Arising articles are interesting and timely scientific or academic comments and clarifications on original research papers published in the journal.Length not stated
- methodologyMethodologies should present a new experimental or computational method, test or procedure.Length not stated
- perspectiveA Perspective is a scholarly review and discussion of the primary research literature that does not meet the criteria for a review articleLength not stated
- registered reportRegistered Reports are a publication format in which the research question and the quality of methodology are peer reviewed before theLength not stated
- researchResearch articles present new scientific results within the scope of the journal that have not been published previously and are not being considered for public…Length not stated
- research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- reviewWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability
Data availability statement required Model summary
All authors must include a data availability statement in their submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Step 4 - Understand your copyright
If your submission is accepted for publication, you will need to sign a licence agreement with Springer Nature to allow us to publish your article. According to this agreement:authors of articles published in this journal retain the copyright of their articles.authors grant Springer Nature a licence to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.authors retain full re-use rig…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Discover Life, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top Did you find what you were looking for? Share feedback.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Step 3 - Understand the peer review policy
Single-anonymous peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-anonymous peer review procedure, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Peer review process All manuscripts undergo technical checks upon submission. Manuscripts that pass technical checks undergo suitability checks by our in-house editorial team. Eligible manuscripts are …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1968
- ISSN
- 0169-6149
- Electronic ISSN
- 2948-2976
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
What CAS zone is Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.22; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 153 days (interquartile range 118–199 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, Current Contents and DOAJ; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres open access, and what is the APC?
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 1,520.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .