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Project Reports

• Benner – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.2 7.1 7.2

• Isotopic and Molecular Approaches to Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry (The Evolution of Organic Matter)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Eukaryotic rRNA Evolution: Origins of “Crown Group Taxa”

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1

• Molecular Survey of Microbial Diversity in Hypersaline Ecosystems, Ecogenomics

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere – K. Freeman

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.2 6.1 7.1

• Ellington – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry

  During the past year the Ellington Lab has focused on the design of self-evolving nucleic acid enzymes. We have designed a cross-catalytic amplification system based on the fast and efficient 10-23 deoxyribozyme (Ellington and Levy, 2003)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.2 6.2

• The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: Subproject: Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction and Its Consequences

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.2 4.3 6.1

• Hydrothermal Organic Synthesis

  Over the past year Cody and colleagues have continued their research into hydrothermal protometabolic chemistry.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.1 3.2 4.2

• Ghadiri – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.2 6.2

• Recruitment of Proteins to Serve New Functions

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.2 5.1

• Eukaryotic Origins and the Evolution of Cellular Complexity – Eukaryotic rRNA Evolution: Early Diverging Eukaryotes

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3

• The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution Subproject: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth’s Surface

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.2 5.3 6.1

• The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution Subproject: Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Environmental Change and Evolution

  Subproject 2, Neoproterozoic-Cambrian environmental change and evolution, has enjoyed the broadest participation of Harvard team members, and for good reason.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2

• Theoretical Studies of Hydrothermal Synthesis Reactions

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1

• Rebek – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry

  Chemical amplification is characteristic of living systems, and is necessary for increased sensitivity, responsiveness, and self-replication

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.2 6.2

• Genomic Evolution and the Tree of Life

  Horizontal gene transfer greatly accelerates genome evolution and Innovation. We are comparing the genomes of eight prokaryotes and related horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to environmental and genomic properties of the organisms and their habitats.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3

• Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell: Implications From Bacterial Tubulin in the Division Verrucomicrobia

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.2

• Micro*scope (http://www.mbl.edu/microscope) – A Web-Based Tool for Microbial Diversity Research

  micro*scope (http://www.mbl.edu/microscope) is an innovative biodiversity bioinformatics web site that greatly improves access to information about microbes

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.2 6.1 6.2

• Genes That Regulate Photosymbiotic Interactions

  We are interested in identifying genes that may impart symbiotic competence to the dinoflagellate symbionts of planktonic protists (foraminifera and radiolaria).

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1 5.2

• Evolution of Biocomplexity From an Ancient Autotrophic Lineage

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1

• Biological Studies of Hydrothermal Systems

  Task 1. Field Studies and Laboratory Characterization of Hydrothermal Vent Microbes (Baross)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1 7.1

• Evogenomics Focus Group

  In year 5, Co-I Charles Marshall continued his statistical analyses of the fossil record as part of the Evogenomics Focus Group.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1

• Magnetic Biosignatures

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 3.3 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 6.1 7.1

• Building a Habitable Planet: The Geological Record

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 7.1

• Causes of Mass Extinction: Isotopic and Paleontological Constraints

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 4.3 6.1

• Microbial Symbionts: Agents for Reorganizing Genome Architectures.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1 5.2 6.2

• Symbiosis and the Origin of Multicellularity in Photosynthetic Organisms

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1 5.2 6.1

• Causes of Mass Extinctions: Testing Impact Models

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 4.3

• Isolation of Psychrophilic Microorganisms

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.4 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2

• Microbial Mat Communities

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1

• A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Hedges

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2

• A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Nei

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2

• Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere – Kump

  Ellen Herman (MS Student) has received some support from the Pennsylvania State Astrobiology Research Center (PSARC) to develop a numerical model of the microbial mat

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 6.1