The Museum of Nature & Science and Sigma Xi present “The Origins of Life: Remembered by (your) Biochemistry,” with guest speaker Loren Williams, PhD.
Dr. Williams joins us via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, 2022 from Georgia Tech and the NASA Center for the Origins of Life. Please contact education@las-cruces.org or call 575/522-3120 for a link to the program or go to Zoom.us with webinar ID 895 1559 9922.
About four billion years ago, prebiotic chemistry established the molecular keystones of biology, paving the path to life. Chemical and geological processes on the ancient Earth caused increases in the complexity of organic molecules, leading ultimately to RNA, DNA, protein, polysaccharides, membrane-forming amphipaths and to the roots of biology.
Prebiotic chemistry presents some of the most fascinating and difficult questions in the field of chemical sciences. In this talk we will introduce basic concepts and discuss some of the latest advances in origins of life research.
Loren Williams is a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is Director of the Center for the Origins of Life and is Co-Lead of Prebiotic Chemistry and Early Earth Environments, a NASA Astrobiology Research Network. He teaches biochemistry and biophysics and directs a research group that studies the evolution and functions of the translation system.
The Museum of Nature & Science, 411 N. Main St., is accessible via RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1, Stop 1. For information, visit the Museums System website at: https://www.las-cruces.org/museums or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @LCMuseums.
For information contact Lea Flores, Acting Museum Educator, at 575/532-3372 or by email at lflores@las-cruces.org.