Scientific investigation of life's origins, once mostly a theoretical enterprise, has gained momentum in recent years as biologists have discovered hardy microbes in extreme terrestrial habitats and possible hints of lifelike structures in a Martian meteorite. One recent sign that the field is alive and well is the establishment of a new NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) for the Study of Origins of Life in the Albany area of New York.
MULTIPLE YEARS: James Ferris, professor of chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., is director of the four-year $4 million grant that is funding the center. James Ferris, professor of chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., is director of the four-year $4 million grant that is funding the center. Ferris's large body of work on the polymerization of RNA nucleotides on clay surfaces is widely respected among origin of life researchers, some ...
