Modelling Origins of Life

How can non-living matter give rise to the phenomena that characterize life? While much progress has been made on parts of this problem, a conceptually coherent way to unify the individual discoveries does not yet exist.

MOL, or Modelling Origins of Life is an independent initiative supported by EON, intended to provide a structured yet adaptive common ground to bring together demonstrative and exploratory simulations and modeling efforts with empirical knowledge and analysis.

Part of the approach will be to assemble a set of fundamental questions capturing essential elements of the problem of the origins of living systems. The goal of the research effort is to arrive at theories, tests and demonstrations of biogenic processes , leading to an understanding of the ways in which life could have originated on Earth and other planets.

The origins research community reflects diverse interests and priorities, which can be served by sharing skills, expertise, methods and approaches. MOL provides a place for research results ? positive and negative, simulation codes, experimental data, etc. ? to be collected and shared, as well as a workspace for collaboration where insights from many sources can be synthesized into a more comprehensive and fundamental understanding of the transition from non-life to life.

The MOL community has organised a major international symposium, Reconceptualizing the Origin of Life.

For more information about MOL, please see a draft of a white paper about MOL.