The
major goal of the research being conducted at the Penn State Astrobiology Research
Center (PSARC) is to increase our understanding of the connection between the
changes in the environment of the early Earth and the changes in the biota on
Earth, especially during the period between 4.5 billion to 500 million years ago.
Here we are mainly concerned with the origin of life and the evolution and extinction
of important organisms, including archaea, oxygen-producing cyanobacteria, eukaryotes,
and early animals. The term "environment" refers specifically to the
chemistry of the atmosphere (especially the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and methane), the chemical and thermal structure of the ocean
(especially its redox state), and climate. The above research goal is being pursued
by multidisciplinary research, including theoretical modeling of pre-biotic atmospheric
chemistry, laboratory experiments to synthesize organic compounds, analyses of
the structures and roles of metallo enzymes in archaea, molecular genetic analyses
of major organisms, and geochemical and paleontological investigations of a variety
of Precambrian rocks. The results of this research will greatly enhance our ability
to predict the future of life on Earth and to identify the possibility of life
elsewhere in the universe. The following outline summarizes the specific projects
being conducted at the PARC. Environment of prebiotic
Earth and the origin of life Biochemistry
of Archea and Bacteria Microbe-mineral interactions GEOPULSE:
Gene Expression of Observations for Planetary Life Study Timescale
for the evolution of life on Earth: Molecular evolution approach Evolution
of atmospheric O2, climate, and the terrestrial biosphere Causes
and consequences of the diversification and extinction of metazoans
See Team Research Plan |
Stay Updated with RSS Feeds