Abstract

 

Chemical reaction mechanisms are widely used in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to capture in a compact way the knowledge about the interactions among chemical species during reactions, as well as for practical purposes such as reactor design and operation. In addition to these common uses, chemical reaction mechanisms can be used unconventionally. We will illustrate this with two examples. In the first one, we use the chemical mechanism of a widely known oscillatory reaction to explain the experimentally observed effects on the oscillatory...

Read more about Dr. Marta Dueńas Diez (Perez-Mercader Group) "Unconventional Use of Chemical Reaction Mechanisms"

Abstract:

Cells (in life as we know it) are delineated by cell membranes. However, without the protein machinery that drives growth, division, and the transport of nutrients, such membranes are more or less inert. How then did the most primitive membranes perform these essential functions? I will discuss the role of membranes and compartmentalisation for living entities, and show recent progress on the capabilities of simple model primitive membrane systems.

Abstract:

There have long been two major stances on the origin of life: one rooted in the belief that metabolic cycles originated abiotically, producing energy used to power the earliest life (metabolism-first); while the other stipulates that genetic material containing information developed first (replication-first). While both metabolism and informational transfer are important for life today, it remains unclear which theory, if either, is correct. We will present the current evidence in favor and opposing both theories and discuss how these ideas fit into past and emerging...

Read more about Sukrit Ranjan (MIT SCOL / Sasselov Group Alumni) and Zoe Todd (Sasselov Group ) -“Controversies in the Origin of Life: Metabolism-first vs. Replication-first”

Abstract:

 

When you hear prebiotic chemistry you immediately think large and complex molecules, present in all life forms on Earth, like proteins or nucleic acids. However, on the early earth the abundant molecules were more likely small and simple like cyanamide and glycoaldehyde. Elucidating a pathway from small and simple to large and complex is the main question of prebiotic chemistry. Current day synthetic chemistry has found an answer: separation methods, controlled reaction conditions and hordes of underpaid...

Read more about Constantin Giurgiu (Szostak Lab) - "The Surprising Roles of Azoles in Prebiotic Chemistry: A Play in Three Acts"

Abstract

We now know that exoplanets abound in the Galaxy, with most stars hosting at least one planet. These recently discovered worlds are much more diverse than the planets in the Solar System, and raise many questions about their formation, evolution, and habitability. To address these questions, we turn to atmosphere characterization, which provides a wealth of additional information about the planets. I will discuss the state of the art in atmosphere studies, focusing on recent high-precision, space-based observations of hot Jupiters and warm Neptunes. These studies have...

Read more about Dr. Laura Kreidberg - "Exoplanet Atmosphere Characterization, Present and Future"

Nitrogenase is the only protein on the planet capable of fixing nitrogen, yet it is extremely sensitive to oxygen and has a very high metal requirement (38 Fe + 1 Mo/V/Fe). It is thought to have originated in the Archean or early Proterozoic, and thus its evolutionary history likely includes adjustment to at least one major change to the redox state of the Earth system. We used ancestral sequence reconstruction to understand the evolution of biological nitrogen fixation through Earth history. We reconstructed ancestral nitrogenase sequences by creating... Read more about Hanon McShea (Kacar Lab) - "Reconstructing Ancestral Nitrogenases Reveals Ancient Redox-Linked Selective Pressure"