FIBR: The Emergence of Life: From Geochemistry to the Genetic Code

哈罗德·莫罗维茨，圣达菲研究所和乔治·梅森大学雪莱·科普利，科罗拉多大学博尔德奈杰尔·戈登菲尔德，伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校埃里克·史密斯，圣达菲研究所卡尔·沃斯，伊利诺伊大学香槟分校卡洛斯·卡斯蒂略-查韦斯，亚利桑那州立大学乔治·科迪，卡内基研究所肯尼斯·德容，乔治梅森大学扎伊达·卢西-舒尔顿，伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校，乔治梅森大学詹姆斯·特雷菲尔，乔治·梅森大学生命的出现仍然是生物学的核心问题之一，随着太阳系外行星的发现，遥远登陆火星的飞行器的成功，以及能够探测地外生命证据的泰坦以及探索极端或偏远的陆地环境。尽管构成陆地生命关键方面的各种起源的复杂现象，特别是新陈代谢和复制机制，仍然遥远，但许多遗迹在现代生物体的核心路径和特征中幸存下来。这个跨学科的项目将从原始地球化学、生物化学、分子生物学、热力学、进化生物学和基因组动力学中合成这些分离但又融合的早期生命线索，以提供对新陈代谢的进化和现代遗传密码发展的连贯描述。这项研究将对地球上早期生命可能的环境、方式和核心新陈代谢施加强有力的限制。这种跨学科方法的更广泛影响将成为预测地外生命的性质及其从代谢活动或其他环境影响中检测的努力的工作模板。该项目将通过作家驻场计划、行业出版物、博物馆展品、活跃的网站和K-12外联活动向广大受众传播。从研究活动中产生的项目包括来自亚利桑那州立大学数学和理论生物学研究所的才华横溢的少数民族学生，参与机构的NSF REU项目，以及SFI复杂系统暑期学校。这项工作的成果将纳入核心课程和研讨会，强调多学科、以生物复杂性为导向的合作在现代研究中的中心地位，从而将课程与参与机会结合起来。该项目将包括一个研讨会，旨在向K-12教育工作者总结其成果，并概述现代生物发生及其对天体生物学的更广泛影响。

Harold Morowitz, Santa Fe Institute and George Mason UniversityShelley Copley, University of Colorado at BoulderNigel Goldenfeld, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignEric Smith, Santa Fe InstituteCarl Woese, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Arizona State UniversityGeorge Cody, Carnegie InstituteKenneth DeJong, George Mason UniversityZaida Luthey-Schulten, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignVijaya Sarathy Srinivasan, George Mason UniversityJames Trefil, George Mason UniversityThe emergence of life from abiotic geochemistry remains one of the central problems of biology, all the more salient with the discovery of extra-solar planets, the success of remote landing vehicles on Mars and Titan capable of detecting evidence for extra-terrestrial life, and the exploration of extreme or remote terrestrial environments. Despite the remoteness of the complex phenomena that constituted the various origins of the key aspects of terrestrial life, particularly the metabolic and replication mechanisms, numerous relics survive in the core pathways and features of modern organisms. This interdisciplinary project will synthesize these separate but convergent clues to early life from primordial geochemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, thermodynamics, evolutionary biology and the dynamics of genomes, to provide a coherent account of the evolution of metabolism and the development of the modern genetic code. This research will place strong constraints on the likely environment, manner and core metabolism of early life on Earth. The broader impacts of this interdisciplinary approach will be a working template for efforts to predict the nature of extra-terrestrial life and its detection from metabolic activity or other environmental effects. This project will be disseminated to a broad audience through a writer-in-residence program, trade publications, museum exhibits, an active web site, and K-12 outreach. Emanating from the research activities are projects involving highly-talented under-represented minority students from the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute of Arizona State University, the NSF REU programs at the participating institutions, and the SFI Complex Systems Summer Schools. Results of this work will be integrated into core curricula and seminars emphasizing the centrality of multidisciplinary, biocomplexity-oriented collaboration in modern research, thus combining curriculum with opportunities for participation. The project will include a symposium intended to summarize its outcome to K-12 educators, and provide an overview of modern biogenesis and its broader implications for astrobiology.