
"Why was it significant that the Phoenix lander found ice on Mars? Haven't we known for some time that Mars has ice caps at its poles?"
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Andrew Pohorille
Email andrew.pohorille@nasa.gov Institution Ames Research Center Telephone 650-604-5759 Fax 650-604-1088 Address MS 239-4
Moffett Field, CA 94035
USA Current NAI Teams NASA Ames Research Center (CAN5)
NASA Ames Research Center (CAN5) Past NAI Teams NASA Ames Research Center (CAN1, CAN3)About
Andrew Pohorille received Ph.D. in theoretical physics (with specialty in biophysics) from University of Warsaw. He did his postdoctoral work with Prof. Bernard Pullman at the institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique in Paris. Since 1992 he has been professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California San Francisco. In 1996 he joined the staff of NASA Ames Research Center, where he directs the NASA Center for Computational Astrobiology. In 2000 he received NASA Award for Astrobiology and in 2002 he was awarded NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. In 2005 he was named Distinguished Lecturer at the Centre for Mathematical Modeling and the National Centre for Space Research in the U.K.
His main interests have been focused on modeling the origins of life, computer simulations of biomolecular systems, modeling genetic and metabolic networks, and statistical mechanics of condensed phases. He also works on the development of novel computational methods for parallel and distributed computing. Most recently, he has been working on developing concepts and designing instruments for microbiology experiments on small satellites and in the lunar environment, and on new ways to organize scientific information. His other research interests are rather eclectic — in recent years he published papers in diverse areas, ranging from the structure of comets to the mechanism of anesthetic action and risky decision-making. He coauthored nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Publications
Pohorille, A., Wilson, M.A. & Wei, C. (In press, 2008). The Earliest Ion Channels. In: K.M.a.W. Irvin (Ed.). Proceedings of the Bioastronomy 2007. ASP Conference Series.Pohorille, A., Wilson, M.A. & Wei, C. (2007). The Earliest Ion Channels. Astrobiology, 7(3):492-493.Pohorille, A. (2008). Chemical and Biological Determinants of Habitability. Astrobiology, 8(2):327-330.Deamer, D. & Pohorille, A. (2008). Synthetic Cells and Life's Origins. Astrobiology, 8(2):453-455.Pohorille, A., Wilson, M.A. & Wei, C. (2007). The Earliest Ion Channels. Astrobiology, 7(3):492.Pohorille, A. (2007). Unanswered questions in the origin of life. Biology: the Dynamic Science.Wilson, M.A., Pohorille, A. & Schweighofer, K. (2006). Modeling a prebiotic, putative ATP-binding site [Abstract]. Astrobiology, 6:279.Rodriguez-Gomez, D., Darve, E. & Pohorille, A. (2006). Computer modeling of protocellular functions: peptide insertion in membranes [Abstract]. Astrobiology, 6:244.Pohorille, A. & Pratt, L. (2006). Water as amatrix of life [Abstract]. Astrobiology, 6:237.Pohorille, A. (In Press, 2006). Protocells as universal ancestors of living systems. In: S. Rasmussen, M. Bedau, L. Chen, D. Deamer, D. Krakauer, N. Packard & P. Shuster (Eds.). Protocells: Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter. New York: MIT Press.Wilson, M.A., Schweighofer, K.S. & Pohorille, A. (2004). Structure, Function and Origin of Simple Membrane Proteins [Abstract]. American Chemical Society, 2004 Summer National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.Pohorille, A., Schweighofer, K. & Wilson, M.A. (2005). The origin and early evolution of membrane channels. Astrobiology, 5:1-17.Henin, J., Pohorille, A. & Chipot, C. (In Press, 2005). Insights into the recognition and association of transmembrane a-helices. The free energy of a-helix dimerization in glycophorin A. Journal of the American Chemical Society.
