THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT DIRECTED WORK PACKAGES WITHIN ASTROBIOLOGY FOCUSED ON 1) COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE EARLIEST COMPONENTS OF METABOLISM TO FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORIGIN AND EARLY EVOLUTION OF LIFE ON EARTH AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE TO EMERGE IN OTHER HABITABLE ENVIRONMENTS AND 2) THE SIMULATION OF A VIRTUAL CELL CONTAINING ALL OF THE MAIN METABOLIC PATHWAYS TO SUPPORT THE EMERGENCE AND EARLY PROLIFERATION OF LIFE.