Conference: Experimental, Interdisciplinary, and Computational Windows on the Core Concepts of the Origin of Life

Carnegie Institution Of Washington, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This project supports a conference on Experimental Interdisciplinary, and Computational Windows on the Core Concepts of the Origin of Life to be held November 9-13, 2015 at Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC. The relatively small size of the meeting (approximately 100 participants) combined with the proposed 30 scientific talks and poster sessions should ensure that the core aim of the meeting to bring together representatives from diverse scientific disciplines to exchange ideas and approaches to the origins of life should be met. An effort has been made to broaden participation to young scientists including females and minorities. A public lecture by one speaker will be offered as part of the Carnegie public lecture series. Conference delegates will discuss narratives focused around five integrative themes that explore the concrete and abstract dimensions of origins, the connections to planetary context and biological evolution and ecology, the roles of modeling and computation, and the relation of biological theory to fundamental principles governing order in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering.