2022 Origins of Life GRC and GRS: Environments for the Origins of Life and Habitability

这笔拨款将为2022年生命起源（OoL）戈登研究会议（GRC）和戈登研究研讨会（GRS）提供部分支持，该研讨会将于2022年1月在德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿举行。生命是如何在地球上出现的，这是人类社会在所有文化和所有时期提出的最基本的问题之一。因此，探索这个问题的答案对人类社会具有根本的价值。此外，OoL是一个巨大的跨学科领域，需要专业知识，包括地球化学，地球物理，行星科学，空间科学，生物化学，细胞生物学，古生物学和有机化学，以及许多其他领域。因此，OoL代表了NSF所设想的融合科学的真正精神。因此，在概念和技术上的进步可以带来巨大的影响，广泛的科学，技术和社会效益。例如，模型原细胞的自下而上组装与合成细胞领域共享许多技术技能和概念，在生物技术，合成光合作用控制人为全球变暖甚至生物灵感建筑设计方面具有潜在的应用前景。最后，GRC/GRS的独特形式对塑造年轻科学家，特别是研究生、博士后和助理教授的职业生涯具有巨大的潜在影响，该奖项将特别支持他们的参与。GRC/GRS主席/副主席也做出了巨大的努力，邀请了大量来自代表性不足的群体和早期职业科学家的特邀演讲者和讨论领袖，以鼓励这些群体在与会者中参与。这笔拨款将为2022年生命起源（OoL）戈登研究会议（GRC）和戈登研究研讨会（GRS）提供部分支持，该研讨会将于2022年1月在德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿举行。关于恒星和行星演化、有机分子和微生物在极端条件下的生存、早期地球和其他行星的地球化学环境等改变范式的发现，正在引发地球科学家、化学家和生物学家之间的协同对话，以了解生命是如何在地球化学上合理的环境下起源的。地球化学环境条件对益生元有机化学的制约作用直到最近才被认识到。2022年OOL GRC的主题是“生命起源和可居住性的环境”，以反映这一日益增长的认识，9场会议的重点是地球化学如何演变为生物地球化学。GRC主席是Nita Sahai博士，副主席是Laurie Barge博士。GRS主席和副主席分别是Laura Rodriguez博士和Tyler Roche先生。Sahai和Barge都是地球化学家，该GRC的具体重点是可能成为ol摇篮的地球化学环境，从而支持从地球化学到生物地球化学的转变。这区别于许多先前的主要关注生物化学和有机化学的OoL GRCs。GRC是最能激发智力的会议之一，因为它的设计和形式。2022年OoL GRC的另一个独特之处在于，认识论问题也将由一位特邀演讲者讨论，这对于理解OoL或宇宙的起源是一个特别重要的话题。推动该领域向前发展的新想法往往来自GRC的非正式和正式讨论。因此，OoL GRC与NSF Ear GG项目的范围和NSF融合科学的愿景是一致的。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant will provide partial support for the 2022 Origins of Life (OoL) Gordon Research Conference(GRC)and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), Galveston, TX, in January 2022. How life emerged on Earth is one of the most fundamental questions that human societies have asked in all cultures and all periods of time. Thus, exploring the answers to this question has fundamental value to human society. Furthermore, OoL is a tremendously interdisciplinary field and requires expertise, including geochemistry, geophysics, planetary science, space sciences, biochemistry, cell biology, paleontology and organic chemistry, among many other fields. Thus, OoL represents the true spirit of Convergence Science as envisioned by NSF. Hence, the advances in concepts and techniques in OoL could bring huge impacts with a wide range of scientific, technological and society benefits. For example, the bottom-up assembly of model protocells shares many technological skills and concepts with the field of synthetic cells, that has potential applications in biotechnology, synthetic photosynthesis to control anthropogenic global warming and even bioinspired architectural design. Finally, the unique format of the GRC/GRS has tremendous potential impact on shaping the careers of young scientists, especially graduate students, postdocs, and assistant professors, and this award will support specifically their participation. The GRC/GRS Chairs/Vice-Chairs have also made a tremendous effort to invite a large number of Invited Speakers and Discussion Leaders from underrepresented groups and early career scientists to encourage participation from these groups among the conference attendees.This grant will provide partial support for the 2022 Origins of Life (OoL) Gordon Research Conference(GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), Galveston, TX, in January 2022. Paradigm-changing discoveries about stellar and planetary evolution, survival of organic molecules and microorganisms under extreme conditions, and geochemical environments on early Earth and other planets are sparking a synergistic dialogue between geoscientists, chemists, and biologists to understand how life might have originated under geochemically plausible environments. The importance of the geochemical environmental conditions as providing constraints on prebiotic organic chemistry has only recently begun to be acknowledged in this field. The 2022 OOL GRC is entitled “Environments for the Origins of Life and Habitability” to reflect this growing recognition and the 9 sessions focus on how geochemistry may have evolved to biogeochemistry. The Chair of this GRC is Dr. Nita Sahai and the Vice-Chair is Dr. Laurie Barge. The GRS Chair and Vice-Chair are, respectively, Dr. Laura Rodriguez and Mr. Tyler Roche. Sahai and Barge are both geochemists and the specific focus of this GRC is on the plausible geochemical environments that could have served as the cradle for the OoL, thus supporting the transition from geochemistry to biogeochemistry. This distinguishes it from many prior OoL GRCs which have focused primarily on biochemistry and organic chemistry. The GRC is one of the most intellectually stimulating conferences because of its design and format. Another unique feature of the 2022 OoL GRC is that the question of Epistemology will also be addressed by one Invited Speaker, which is an especially important topic for understanding the OoL or the Origins of the Universe. New ideas that move the field forward often emerge from the informal and formal discussions at the GRC. Thus, the OoL GRC is resonant with the scope of the NSF Ear GG program and NSF’s vision of Convergence Science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.