Origins of Life Initiative
Start exploring Origins of Life in labs and classes for undergraduates
Origins laboratory research awards are available for academic and summer terms
Harvard research explores ‘RNA world’
Cuvettes sit in the middle of a Rayonet reactor under a mercury emission lamp.
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Welcome to the Origins of Life Initiative, a biochemical journey through the Universe.
The Origins of Life Initiative supports multi-disciplinary research aimed at revealing if life is abundant in the Universe. We seek to understand how the initial conditions on planets, including our own Earth and planets around other stars, dictated the origins of life and its subsequent evolution. Using this knowledge, it will eventually be possible to study the atmospheres of far distant planets for signs of life, including planets that might be Earth twins.
Latest News
Origins Visiting Scholar John Sutherland will receive the 2025 NAS Award in Early Earth and Life Studies – Stanley Miller Medal
"John D. Sutherland, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, will receive the 2025 NAS Award in Early Earth and Life Studies – Stanley Miller Medal. John's pioneering work on prebiotic chemical pathways and geochemical scenarios provides fresh insight into...
Exciting News: Nobel Prize Awarded to Origins Faculty member Gary Ruvkun
Dear Origins Community, We are thrilled to share that Origins Faculty member, Gary Ruvkun, receives the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for Discovery of microRNA. Gary shares this award with Victor Ambros (UMass Medical) for elucidating a...
Upcoming Events
Andrea Salazar (Wordsworth Group)
Nov. 6, 2025
9:00AM - 10:15AM
Northwest Building - Room 353
In Person
Jessica Cmiel (Wordsworth Group)
Mar. 5, 2026
9:00AM - 10:15AM
Northwest Building - Room 353
In Person
Jenny Calahan (Kavli-Laukien Fellow)
Apr. 2, 2026
9:00AM - 10:15AM
Northwest Building - Room 353
In Person
Xavier Portillo (Kavli-Laukien Fellow)
May. 7, 2026
9:00AM - 10:15AM
Northwest Building - Room 353
In Person