Research

Studying the origins of life on Earth and what could lay beyond our planet

Here at ProtoSigns Lab we investigate the emergence and evolution of life on Earth and the implications for potential life beyond our planet. We are an interdisciplinary group, using a variety of methods typically employed in fields such as chemistry, microbiology, palaeontology, and computer modelling.

Major Research Themes

Prebiotic chemistry to biology transition
Protocells
Biosignatures
Microfossils

How do our cells operate on a fundamental chemical level? To what extent does the environment shape living organisms? How have these simple chemical reactions affected evolution throughout Earth’s history and in turn how has the evolution of life modified physical and chemical environments on Earth? Could life exist on other planets?

What We Do

ProtoSigns Lab works towards gaining a closer understanding the fundamental basis for life. Experimental work shows that the conditions on the early Earth were conducive to the formation of non-living artefacts that resemble morphologically the remains of fossilised microorganisms – so-called biomorphs. Expanding the experimental space of protocell (non-living precursors to biological cell membranes) formation will shed life on the steps required for the emergence of life and the chemistry that underpins all life today. Characterising the fossilisation and degradation processes of protocells and microorganisms will allow us to better interrogate signs of life on the early Earth. Vastly improving our understanding of Archaean ecology, and possibly allowing for the detection of the fossilised remains of actual protocells providing physical evidence for the origin of life on Earth.

Links to the search for life beyond Earth

Although it is unlikely that life ever existed on the Moon, there may be a substantial amount of geological material from the early Earth lying intact on the Moon’s surface. This material may contain fossilised remnants of the earliest life on Earth and potentially even traces of life emerging on Earth. Additionally, Mars is seen as one of the most promising locations for the detection of signs of life. With the ongoing sample return missions for both the moon and Mars, it will be possible for the samples collected to undergo identical analyses as are employed for samples from the early Earth. However, considering the controversy that surrounds every piece of evidence from the early Archaean rock record, how can we be truly confident about the detection of extra-terrestrial life? ProtoSigns Lab is working towards building an experimental approach to interrogate these samples with confidence.