TO: NAI Newsletter distribution listFROM: George Cody (NAI CIW team) and Douglas Whittet (NAI RPI team)SUBJECT: Announcement and invitation to attend NAI “Workshop Without Walls”: The Organic Continuum from the […]
Origin & Evolution of Life
Posted inConferences and Meetings, Origin & Evolution of Life
Inaugural Gordon Research Conference on Geobiology of Precambrian Earth
30 January – 4 February 2011 at the Ventura Beach Marriott Hotel, Ventura, CA Microbial Ecology in the Early Fossil Record of Earth and Modern Analogues Convenors: Nora Noffke & […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Age of the Solar System Needs to Be Recalculated
A new paper in Science from NAI’s Arizona State University team indicates that a trusted equation for calculating the age of the solar system may need rewriting. The team’s measurements […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life
Astrobiologists Reproduce RNA Component in Laboratory
NASA astrobiologists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of RNA, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidines exposed to ultraviolet radiation […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life
Just like old times: Generating RNA molecules in water
Appearing in the Nov. 27, 2009, issue (Vol. 284, No. 48) of JBC: A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life
Ribosomes as Ancient Molecular Fossils
Members of NAI’s team at Georgia Tech have a new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution describing an analysis of ribosomal structure and sequence. Their approach chronicles the ribosome’s evolution, […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Oxygen Production in Earth's Early Oceans Predates the Great Oxidation Event
It is widely accepted that around 2.4 billion years ago, the Earth’s atmosphere underwent a dramatic change when oxygen levels rose sharply. Called the “Great Oxidation Event” (GOE), the oxygen […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
NAI Director's Seminar: Andrew Pohorille, "Is Water Necessary for Life?"
Date/Time: Monday, November 30, 2009 11:00AM Pacific Speaker: Andrew Pohorille (NASA Ames Research Center) Abstract: “Follow the water” is the canonical strategy in searching for life in the universe. Conventionally, […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
New Book: "Exploring the Origin, Extent, and Future of Life: Philosophical, Ethical and Theological Perspectives"
This new book, edited by Constance M. Bertka is now available. From the publisher: Where did we come from? Are we alone? Where are we going? These are the questions […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
NAI Research Reveals Major Insight into Evolution of Life on Earth
Humans might not be walking on Earth today if not for the ancient fusing of two microscopic, single-celled organisms called prokaryotes, NASA-funded research has found. By comparing proteins present in […]