Sigma Xi Public Talk
The scientific quest to understand the origin of life
Presented by Nicholas Hud, Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology
The origin of life remains one of the most intriguing and challenging scientific problems of all time. Chemists seeking to understand the origins of biological molecules use what are known as the "bottom-up" approaches, which typically involve laboratory experiments designed to reconstruct chemical reactions that took place on Earth around 4 billion years ago. Biologists are having great success with "top down" approaches, in which genetic information from extant organisms is being used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cellular life. A common goal of these two approaches is to produce a continuous and scientifically plausible path from small, nonliving matter to contemporary life, a path that links the "prebiotic soup" with the first living cells. Recent advances made by chemists and biologists will be discussed, as well as what may soon be revealed about the origins and early evolution of life.
5:00 pm, Thursday, October 15, 2015
Room C, UNM Conference Center
Northeast corner of Indian School and University
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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php