How could the physics and chemistry of the early Earth create the first living molecular evolution?

We will highlight recent progress in reconstructing the first RNA replicating systems under the physics of conditions. Emphasis will be placed on providing an overview of the relevant biophysical mechanism effects and the latest biochemical mechanisms. We will present and critically comment on the most recent topics and give a hands-on introduction to this emerging highly interdisciplinary field. Connections will be made to the work being done in the CRC 392 Molecular Evolution in Prebiotic Conditions (www.molecular-evolution.de) and the Origins Cluster.

The lecture will last 2 hours and is worth 3 ECTS points. The course is aimed at Masters students and is open to other disciplines such as Geosciences and Chemistry. It combines well with the seminar on the physics of early life.

We will explore the physics of biological systems, including their origin, evolution, pattern formation, embryogenesis, biochemical networks, chemotaxis, gene regulation, high throughput methods, neural networks and game theory. The lecture will include a short introduction to reaction-diffusion systems with Comsol. It is a 4 hour lecture including one hour of seminar. The lecture is for Master students, open to other disciplines. Background from the introduction of Biophysics course is recommended but not required.