"Origins of Life: The Earth, the Solar System, and Beyond"

Friday, March 7, 2008

9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Radcliffe Gymnasium, 10 Garden Street, Radcliffe Yard, 617-495-8600

Admission is free, and registration is required.

Experience the conference on-line. Streaming videos are now available:

Welcome and "Prebiotic Chemistry in Space: Setting the Stage for the Evolution of Life”
Video (57 minutes)

“Minerals, Radicals, Prebiotic Chemistry, and the Emergence of Oxygenic Photosynthesis”
Video (41 minutes)

“Physical and Chemical Models for the Origin of Biological Homochirality”
Video (46 minutes)

“Directed, Continuous, and Self-Sustained Evolution of RNA Enzymes”
Video (38 minutes)

“Evolution of Atmospheres on Habitable Planets”
Video (51 minutes)

“The Sedimentary Cycle of Mars and Its Astrobiological Implications”
Video (46 minutes)

“Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Habitable Worlds”
Video (39 minutes)

Closing Remarks
Video (10 minutes)

Download a printable poster for this event.

This event is supported by the Marjorie Cabot de Enriquez Fund.
Cosponsored by the Origins of Life Initiative, Harvard University

Of all the questions scientists might ask about life, none is more basic or challenging than how life emerges in the first place. Modern research suggests that life results from planetary processes, but there are still many unknowns. Which processes were critical to the beginning of life? What environments support these processes? Recent advances in the understanding of planets and moons in our solar system and the discovery of extrasolar planets may lead to research and space missions that help answer these questions. This symposium will convene leading biologists, chemists, and planetary scientists to explore pathbreaking information about planetary processes and the possibility that the origin of life is grounded in them.

Schedule

8 a.m.	Coffee and registration
9 a.m.	Welcome and introduction Barbara J. Grosz, interim dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences, Harvard University Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy and director, Origins of Life Initiative, Harvard University
9:15 a.m.	“Prebiotic Chemistry in Space: Setting the Stage for the Evolution of Life” Lucy M. Ziurys, professor of astronomy and chemistry, University of Arizona
10 a.m.	“Minerals, Radicals, Prebiotic Chemistry, and the Emergence of Oxygenic Photosynthesis” Martin Schoonen, Professor of Geochemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook
10:45 a.m.	Coffee break
11 a.m.	“Physical and Chemical Models for the Origin of Biological Homochirality” Donna G. Blackmond, professor of chemistry and of chemical engineering, Imperial College London
11:45 a.m.	“Directed, Continuous, and Self-Sustained Evolution of RNA Enzymes” Gerald F. Joyce, professor of chemistry and molecular biology, The Scripps Research Institute
12:30 p.m.	Lunch and poster session
2 p.m.	“Evolution of Atmospheres on Habitable Planets” David Catling, European Union Marie Curie Chair, University of Bristol
2:45 p.m.	“The Sedimentary Cycle of Mars and Its Astrobiological Implications” Scott M. McLennan, professor of geochemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook
3:30 p.m.	“Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Habitable Worlds” Sara Seager, Ellen Swallow Richards Associate Professor of Planetary Science and associate professor of physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4:15 p.m.	Closing Remarks Ann Pearson, Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

Abstracts

See the Origins of Life Abstracts page for abstracts of the speakers' talks.

Speakers' Biographies

See the Origins of Life Speakers' Biographies page.