The origin or emergence of life on Earth is a widely studied scientific problem. A few hundred million years after the formation of the Earth, the first liquid water bodies had likely formed. From this moment onward life may have originated, for example on the ocean floor or on early land masses, but there is currently no consensus on the most likely scenario. The paucity of scientific evidence for the processes, the long timescales associated with the emergence of life, and the interdisciplinary nature of the questions necessitates an approach that cannot be handled by a single-discipline study.
In PRELIFE, we focus specifically on determining several prerequisites that influence the origin of life, on Earth and beyond, through combining astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth and planetary science, educational science, information science, mathematics, and physics.
We identified a list of objectives aiming to constrain environments on the early Earth and on icy moons as suggested early Earth analogues, how protoplanetary disc composition drives the formation of Earth and Earth-like planets, and the emergence of life-like properties and functions. Each objective requires input from at least two scientific disciplines.
At operational level these objectives will be investigated in-depth in work packages combining computational studies, computer modelling, laboratory experimental research, astronomical observations, sample analysis, and testing of educational tools.
We will also develop an educational method to train the next generation of researchers with multifaceted talents and transdisciplinary approaches relevant to questions related to the origin of life.
One work package is fully dedicated to knowledge dissemination and utilisation through collaborations between universities, universities of applied sciences, artists, science communication specialists, the eScience Center, and museums.
PRELIFE will focus on and constrain scenarios for the origin of life by identifying relevant pathways, reactions, and environments that were likely available on the Hadean Earth.
