Life’s Beginnings studying how life bloomed on Earth—and might emerge elsewhere

August 20, 2013
Life’s Beginnings studying how life bloomed on Earth—and might emerge elsewhere
Are the inhabitants of Earth the only life forms in the universe, or could life exist elsewhere? As astronomers rapidly identify exoplanets—those beyond our solar system—the question has been transformed from a science-fiction trope to one discussed in scientific journals and conferences according to Professor of Astronomy, Dimitar Sasselov.
And that earlier question quickly leads to this one: How did life start here on Earth? That question, says Dimitar Sasselov, who is also the Director of the Origins of Life Initiative at Harvard, “is one of the big unsolved questions humanity has always asked.” And yet for various reasons it has been difficult to answer. Biology has been very good at describing how living organisms work; it has been far less successful at answering what life is and how it could emerge from a non-living world.
Read the full article in Harvard Magazine or download as pdf.