PREFLIFE
The origin of life is one of science's greatest mysteries, with several theories but no clear answers. The interdisciplinary project PRELIFE unites research experts from astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary sciences, education science, mathematics, and physics to explore the question: How and under what conditions did life arise on Earth, and how common are these conditions in the universe? Recognizing the interest of society in these questions, PRELIFE will engage teachers, students, and the public through educational projects, collaborations with artists, and partnerships with museums, bringing the search for answers into classrooms and public areas.
Survival of organic molecules: from molecular clouds to icy bodies
This project, led by Leiden University, will explore how organic molecules survive in ice bodies, from molecular clouds to comets and asteroids. Astronomical observations suggest that these bodies contain not only ice but also dust particles, similar to a dirty snowball. While dust protects molecules from radiation, it could also alter them. Previous studies have shown that ice layers, containing volatile and organic compounds, form on dust grains in molecular clouds. However, how these icy grains evolve as they transition into protoplanetary disks and larger bodies like comets is less understood. The project will use advanced experimental setups at the Leiden University and modelling here in Nijmegen to study on the survival of organic molecules in the ice and the type of organic residue.
Prof. Herma Cuppen heads the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry group within IMM. The group as a whole tries to explain and predict properties of molecules, clusters and molecular solids with quantum mechanical, semiclassical, classical and statistical mechanical methods.
Enhancing the evolvability of self-replicating molecules
This project, led by University of Groningen, studies how self-replicating chemical systems can increase their ability to evolve over time. While some chemical systems have shown self-replication from simple molecules, the next step is to enhance the evolvability of self-replicating chemical systems and achieve open-ended evolution. The research team will focus on experimental studies how evolvability can increase. The goal is to identify a 'Goldilocks zone' large enough to enable evolutionary inventions, with error rates low enough to maintain the heritability of these inventions.
Dr. Evan Spruijt is head of the Soft Interfaces group, which is part of the Physical Organic Chemistry department within IMM. The group aims to create artificial organelles that can be used as functional compartments in synthetic cells or as model systems to elucidate the role of coacervates in cells and in the origin of life. The group studies if natural selection and molecular evolution between different coacervate species could result from the natural tendency of coacervates to take up other molecules.
NWA-ORC
The NWA-ORC funding aims to stimulate research driven by interdisciplinary consortia that bring together a wide range of knowledge stakeholders, including public and private partners, and citizens. This research targets complex societal issues, known as ‘ wicked problems’," and is guided by themes suggested by NWA-route networks, based on a selection of 140 key questions.
