Early Earth Research

Current Projects

New models and data to constrain environmental conditions during the origin of life and the spread of early life

Catling, D. C.; Buick, R.; Toner, J. D.; Glein, C.

Abstract: Life emerged from Earth’s early environment, so schemes for the origin of life need to be consistent with the conditions that prevailed back then. The proposed work addresses environmental conditions important for life’s origin during the Hadean eon (4.5-4.0 billion years ago (Ga)) and the spread of primitive life in the Archean (4.0-2.5 Ga). The goal is to provide key geochemical constraints on Earth’s early environment to the Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life group and the larger community by combining new data from the geologic record with novel models.

I am specifically looking at cyanide on early Earth. Cyanide is the centerpiece for recent hypotheses on the origin of life because of its ability to polymerize and synthesize various organic compounds. Cyanide is thought to have been present on early Earth due to high-temperature reactions from meteorites and photochemistry in the atmosphere. But how does cyanide react with the environment, and can it accumulate in sufficient concentrations needed for origin of life hypotheses to work? I am addressing these issues by measuring the properties of cyanide solutions in the lab, and building computer models to explore cyanide chemistry in plausible early Earth environments.

Environmental Conditions for the Origin of Life and Early Life

Catling, D. C.; Buick, R.; Toner, J. D.; Glein, C.; Keller, S.; Black, R.

Abstract: Chemical schemes for the origin of life need to be consistent with environmental conditions that prevailed on the early Earth. Our work is providing new, essential inputs to origin of life problems by addressing environmental conditions during the Hadean eon (4.5-4 billion years ago, Ga), when life likely began, and the Archean (4-2.5 Ga), when primitive life spread.