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| Center for Chemical Evolution | |
|---|---|
| Name | Center for Chemical Evolution |
| Established | 2009 |
| Focus | Prebiotic chemistry, origins of life |
| Affiliation | Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA, NSF |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
Center for Chemical Evolution The Center for Chemical Evolution is a research consortium dedicated to investigating the chemical processes that could have given rise to life on Earth and elsewhere. It integrates experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches, linking efforts at university laboratories, national laboratories, and space agencies to address questions about prebiotic synthesis, molecular self-assembly, and planetary environments. The Center partners with institutions across the United States and internationally to coordinate interdisciplinary projects and training programs.
The Center for Chemical Evolution brings together investigators from Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Scripps Research, University of Minnesota, NASA, National Science Foundation, Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego, Johns Hopkins University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Tokyo, Max Planck Society, CNRS, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, Weizmann Institute of Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Arizona State University, Brown University, Duke University, Rice University, Michigan State University, University of California, Los Angeles, Ohio State University, University of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, University of Arizona, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, European Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SETI Institute to study origins-related chemical pathways and planetary chemistry.
The Center for Chemical Evolution was formed following funding initiatives by the National Science Foundation and program announcements from NASA around 2009, with early organizational meetings hosted at Georgia Institute of Technology and partner sites including Scripps Research and University of Wisconsin–Madison. Major grants and cooperative agreements were awarded by the NSF Division of Chemistry, NASA Astrobiology Program, and foundations such as the Simons Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Administrative oversight and project management involved offices at Georgia Institute of Technology and coordinating committees with representatives from Carnegie Institution for Science, Max Planck Society, CNRS, European Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Primary research themes include investigation of nucleotide formation pathways tested against constraints from Miller–Urey experiment analogs, studies of peptide bond formation under hydrothermal conditions linked to Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Black Sea analogs, and exploration of lipid self-assembly informed by studies at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Projects examine nonenzymatic polymerization comparable to processes described in RNA world hypothesis literature and synthetic routes inspired by Strecker synthesis and Formose reaction mechanisms. Laboratory efforts interface with planetary modeling groups at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and European Space Agency to evaluate chemistry on Mars, Europa (moon), Enceladus, and early Earth. Computational collaborations employ resources at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for ab initio simulations and reaction network modeling, coordinated with experimental teams at Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago.
Experimental platforms include spectroscopy suites at Scripps Research, high-resolution mass spectrometry centers at University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of California, Berkeley, microfluidics and microreactor facilities at Georgia Institute of Technology and MIT, and synchrotron access through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. The Center coordinates fieldwork with groups at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Vanderbilt University, and University of Alaska Fairbanks for sampling hydrothermal systems and evaporitic deposits. International partnerships include University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Society, CNRS, and Weizmann Institute of Science.
The Center runs training programs for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in collaboration with National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and institutional training grants at Georgia Institute of Technology, Scripps Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Outreach activities have included public lectures at Smithsonian Institution affiliates, workshops hosted at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Royal Society, and summer schools coordinated with NASA Astrobiology Program and the Simons Foundation. The Center has contributed content to exhibits at American Museum of Natural History and educational materials produced with SETI Institute.
Center investigators have authored high-impact articles in journals associated with Nature (journal), Science (journal), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Chemical Reviews, Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, PNAS Nexus, and thematic volumes edited by Royal Society of Chemistry. Findings include experimental demonstrations of plausible prebiotic nucleotide syntheses in aqueous and dry-down conditions, models of peptide bond formation under hydrothermal vent analogs, and reports on autocatalytic networks consistent with hypotheses from Stuart Kauffman-inspired combinatorial chemistry. Results have been cited in policy white papers from NASA and review articles by scholars at Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Leadership has comprised faculty and scientists from Georgia Institute of Technology, Scripps Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Max Planck Society. Membership spans principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and technical staff affiliated with Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Carnegie Institution for Science, CNRS, European Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of California, San Diego, University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder, Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Rice University, Michigan State University, Brown University, University of Arizona, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and SETI Institute.
Category:Research institutes