NAI
2003 Annual Science Report
Scripps Research Institute
Reporting | JUL 2002 – JUN 2003
Executive Summary
What is life, the requirements for its origins and evolution, and how living systems may be identified elsewhere in the universe are some of the most fundamental questions in astrobiology. Under the auspices of the Scripps Research Institute, a multi-institutional research team has been assembled to explore a variety of interdisciplinary experimental approaches to self-reproducing molecular systems and Darwinian chemistry. Through the design and study of diverse and novel chemical systems in the laboratory, we seek to garner a better understanding of life and its origins.
In the past year our team has continued to make significant discoveries and progress in several areas of research. Benner’s group at the University of Florida has established a multidisciplinary research program that addresses issues relevant to astrobiology from several distinct but interrelated perspectives. They have hypothesized that genetic molecules in water will contain a repeating charge, universally in ...
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M. Reza Ghadiri
NAI, ASTEP, ASTID, Exobiology -
TEAM Active Dates:
7/1998 - 10/2003 CAN 1 -
Members:
33 (See All) - Visit Team Page
Project Reports
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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 -
Switzer – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 -
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 -
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 -
Ghadiri – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.2 6.2
Publications
- There are no publications for this team in the 2003 annual report.
2003 Teams
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Arizona State University
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Harvard University
Marine Biological Laboratory
Michigan State University
NASA Ames Research Center
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA Johnson Space Center
Pennsylvania State University
Scripps Research Institute
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Rhode Island
University of Washington
Virtual Planetary Laboratory (JPL/CalTech)