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SUMMARY:From Astronomy to Chemistry: towards a continuous path for the ori
 gins of life - Zoe Todd\, University of Wisconsin-Madison ​ (Department 
 of Astronomy)
DTSTART:20241128T120000Z
DTEND:20241128T140000Z
UID:TALK225202@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Selen Etingü
DESCRIPTION:The origins of life on Earth have been a longstanding scientif
 ic puzzle\, prompting scientists from Orgel to Sagan to grapple with the f
 undamental question of “how did we get here?” While a complete theory 
 of the origin of life on Earth – with experimental support and no unreso
 lved issues – has yet to be elucidated\, certain pieces of the puzzle ha
 ve seen recent progress. We need to have a cohesive model of the origins o
 f life on Earth to better inform which exoplanets should be observational 
 targets for upcoming telescopes and what tools will be necessary in future
  missions to deduce the presence or absence of life on a potentially habit
 able world. Fortunately\, we have unprecedented access to the one planet w
 here we know circumstances led one way or another to life’s origins: the
  Earth. While astronomers find and characterize exoplanets and planetary s
 cientists explore the possibility for habitability in our Solar System\, c
 hemistry can play an invaluable role in facilitating the search for life b
 eyond Earth. Here\, I will discuss results from several recent projects al
 ong the pathway from the chemical environment readily available on planets
 \, to understanding prebiotic chemistry reactions in the planetary context
 \, to the emergence of the eventual first life – whatever form it may ta
 ke. The necessary building blocks of life – whatever they may be – sho
 uld be available in planetary environments\; understanding the chemical fe
 edstocks present on planets is a crucial first piece of the puzzle. Next\,
  productive prebiotic chemistry reactions should be able to occur under pl
 anetary conditions and from plausible reagents in the environment. Finally
 \, the interplay between the potentially messy chemical environments on pl
 anets must also allow for the development of complexity that could go on t
 o form the first life. If we better understand the chemical reactions and 
 pathways possibly leading to the origins of life on Earth\, we can better 
 inform and constrain the search for life in other planetary environments. 
 By working towards a continuous and plausible pathway towards delineating 
 the origins of life on Earth\, we can place constraints on the astronomica
 l\, planetary\, and chemical environments necessary for habitability.
LOCATION:Martin Ryle Seminar Room\, Kavli Institute
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