Minisymposium - The Chemical Origin of Life: From Geochemistry to Cells
Organised by Peter Faller (USIAS Fellow 2015) and Joseph Moran, ISIS, Strasbourg, supported by the LabEx CSC and USIAS
Life is the ultimate example of a complex chemical system, and the problem of its origin is one of the most fascinating problems in science. The intrinsically multidisciplinary nature of the “origin of life” question means that awareness and communication between bordering disciplines is critical to progress. Life ultimately builds up its biomass from small molecules using chemical or photochemical energy found within its environment, and is thus intimately embedded within geochemistry. This symposium will try to highlight the connections between principles of self-organisation, chemistry, geochemistry, and the biochemistry of the earliest organisms.
Programme
| 09:00-10:00 | The energy expansions of evolution Dr. Olivia P. Judson, Imperial College London, UK & Freie Universität Berlin, Germany |
| 10:00-11:00 | The physiology and habitat of the first cells on Earth Professor William F. Martin, University of Düsseldorf, Germany |
| 11:15-12:15 | Metabolism before enzymes Dr. Joseph Moran, University of Strasbourg, France |
| 13:30-14:30 | Life between the sheets: Layered minerals in early Earth chemistry Professor H. Chris Greenwell, University of Durham, UK |
| 14:45-15:45 | The contributions of organic chemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics as drivers for the origin of life Dr Robert Pascal, University of Montpellier, France |
For more information, please contact:
Peter Faller (pfaller@unistra.fr) - Joseph Moran (moran@unistra.fr)
