Sijbren Otto and the Origin of Life
How can life originate from a lifeless chemical soup? This question has puzzled scientists since Darwin's 'Origin of species'. Stratingh Institute chemistry professor Sijbren Otto studies 'chemical evolution' to see if self-organization and autocatalysis will provide the answer. His research group previously developed self-replicating molecules—molecules that can make copies of themselves—and have now observed diversification in replicator mutants. They found that if you start with one ancestral set of replicator mutants, a second set will branch off spontaneously. This means that ecological diversity as encountered in biology may well have its roots at the molecular level. The results were published on Jan. 4, 2016, in Nature Chemistry.
Prof Otto was also interviewed by national television (EenVandaag - NPO) here.
More information:Jan W. Sadownik, Elio Mattia, Piotr Nowak and Sijbren Otto: Diversification of self-replicating molecules. Nature Chemistry, Advanced Online Publication Jan. 4, 2016, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2419
| Last modified: | 22 January 2016 5.17 p.m. |
More news
-
26 April 2023
Royal Decorations for UG staff members
Two professors nominated by the University of Groningen have been awarded Royal Decorations on Tuesday 26 April. Professor K.U. Loos is appointed Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. She received this honour from Mayor K. Schuiling at...
-
26 April 2023
Cisca Wijmenga in Raad van Toezicht Hanzehogeschool
Cisca Wijmenga treedt per 1 september 2023 toe tot de Raad van Toezicht van de Hanzehogeschool.
-
25 April 2023
Response to the letter to the House of Representatives regarding internationalization
The Board of the University of Groningen has taken note of the Letter to the House of Representatives regarding internationalization in higher education, sent to the House on Friday 21 April by the Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert...