Project description
Investigating the Darwinian evolution of RNA and peptides
The origin of life on Earth remains a mystery. Recently, it was discovered that heat-exposed air bubbles promote molecular evolution, facilitating the cooperation of amino acids, nucleosides, and lipids. This environment encourages RNA oligomerisation and the formation of ribozymes. Lipids create vesicles that encapsulate RNA, while amino acids form peptides, leading to RNA-peptide hybrids and early proto-translation. The ERC-funded BubbleLife project will investigate the Darwinian evolution of RNA and peptides in a controlled environment with limited starting molecules. The project will conduct focused experiments that connect amino acids and nucleotides to the emergence of proto-cellular life, aiming to create ‘proto-cell generators’ and support primitive RNA-based replicators and modern transcription-translation systems.
Objective
"The origin of life on Earth is one of humanity's profound mysteries that lacks scientific answers. We aim to answer this fundamental question by performing pioneering experiments starting from the Darwinian evolution of RNA and peptides to the emergence of cellular life, all in a single environment with only a small selection of starting molecules. We are an interdisciplinary team with diverse backgrounds in chemistry, physics, and biochemistry, and we have a proven track record of strong interdisciplinary collaborations.
Preliminary experiments have revealed the remarkable potential of heat-exposed air bubbles for molecular evolution. BubbleLife connects long evolutionary timescales through targeted experiments, bridging from amino acids and nucleotides to the emergence of protocellular life in one unified environment. Our experimental studies indicate a chemical cooperation of amino acids, nucleoside monophosphates and lipids, driving their Darwinian co-evolution towards modern biochemistry. The non-equilibrium at heated air bubbles promotes RNA oligomerization and template-directed ligation, fostering the emergence of autocatalytic replication networks, including the first RNA catalysts (ribozymes). Co-accumulating lipids form membrane vesicles at heated air-water interfaces that autonomously encapsulate RNA. Driven by prebiotic phosphorylation, amino acids polymerize into peptides in the same alkaline environment. Subsequently, they form RNA-peptide hybrids, revealing intriguing modes of early proto-translation. By combining our unique expertises in a synergistic manner, our work will ultimately culminate in ""protocell generators"" that feed and encapsulate not only primitive RNA-based replicators, but also modern transcription-translation-based systems.
BubbleLife will reshape our understanding of the origin of life on Earth and potentially elsewhere in the universe.
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Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics nucleotides
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-SyG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
44227 Dortmund
Germany
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