Origins Research

Glowing jellyfish deep under the ocean.
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The search for life in the Solar System and beyond has been identified by NASA as its top strategic priority.

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Primed to Lead the Search

We can draw on expertise and equipment from astronomers, planetary scientists, plant biologists, cellular and molecular biologists, astrobiologists, geophysicists, and geochemists.

How Did Life Arise and Thrive?

How did life arise on Earth? Where did its building blocks first develop—in the superheated saltwater near deep-sea vents, or within the vast ice sheets covering primordial oceans? Or did life on Earth evolve from carbon-based molecules transported here billions of years ago by comets and asteroids? Reconstructing the key transitional processes between a chemical non-living state and a biological living state has been a long-standing scientific challenge. Solving this mystery would arguably be the most significant breakthrough of our time.

Carnegie scientists have redefined humanity’s understanding of life in the universe: from our cutting-edge investigations of the evolution of communities of simple microbial life forms in Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs to our probes of the molecular machinery responsible for translating genetic material to life-sustaining proteins—and from our pioneering observations of exoplanets to our partnerships with NASA on missions to Mercury and Mars.

In recent decades, biologists and physical scientists have built and harnessed new tools and concepts that allow us to robustly address seminal scientific questions about the origins of life on Earth, including how the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere co-evolved. The answers to these questions have implications for the core biology of our own species, and to the ability of life in general to adapt to a changing planet, while also fueling our exploration of the potential for life on other planets.

This artist’s impression shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

What Makes an Exoplanet Habitable?

The Carnegie Science-led AEThER project combines astronomy, astrophysics, cosmo- and planetary chemistry, planetary physics and dynamics, experimental and theoretical petrology, and mineral physics to answer fundamental questions about the nature of exoplanetary solar systems and the characteristics that lead rocky planets to have clement surfaces suitable for the development of life. The final product of this project will be a new perspective on what kinds of planets in what stellar environments are most likely to develop habitable surfaces where life can thrive and then be remotely detected.

Visit AEThER Project Website open_in_new

Trying to Figure Out Where We Came From

Origins research at Carnegie Science combines questions about ancient Earth, microbial communities, our planetary neighbors, and distant worlds.

Fieldwork at sea on the Atlantis research vessel.
This artist's concept is based on Hubble Space Telescope images of gas-and-dust disks around the young star TW Hydrae. Hubble Space Telescope photos show shadows sweeping across the disks encircling the system. Credit: NASA, AURA/STScI for ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI).
Microscope image of fly gut

Relevant News Stories: 

Water close-up courtesy of Unsplash
How did Earth get its water?
For decades, what researchers knew about planet formation was based primarily on our own Solar System. However, the explosion of exoplanet research over the past decade informed a new approach to modeling the Earth’s embryonic state.
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Origins Series

From the beginnings of recorded history, humans have had a fascination with their origins. As part of our ongoing Science & Society project, Carnegie Science is pleased to present a series of four discussion forums on origins-related questions, including: How did we get here, where are we going, are we alone and what does that mean for humanity?

This video series highlights the importance and process of discovery science—emphasizing both how scientists think about fundamental questions and that science is an ongoing data-based debate.

Carnegie Origins: Exoplanets

Carnegie Origins: Earth’s Journey Toward Life

Carnegie Origins: Life Beyond Earth

Carnegie Origins: Humanity and the Universe: When Life Meets Life