García-Ruiz’ Lab at DIPC

Our Science

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PROTOS: The role of silica in the dawn of life on our planet

The ERC-funded PROTOS project seeks to unlock the secrets of Earth’s mysterious Hadean era by recreating its primordial environments in the lab, exploring how interactions between water, gases, and ancient rocks—particularly silica—may have fostered the conditions for life’s emergence.

Image for 16th ExoMars Science Working Team (ESWT).

EXOMARS: Patterns on the rocks

This project is designed to guide the development of experiments, analytical characterizations, and computer simulations aimed at identifying possible biosignatures within these patterns or providing a non-biological explanation.

Image for The Biomorphs.

The Biomorphs

This project bridges geology, chemistry and astrobiology, challenging our assumptions about what defines life and how we search for it in the earliest history of Earth and beyond.

Science, Art & Mind

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Prof. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz and the dancer Vanesa Aibar in the event The Crystallization of Dance.

The Crystallization of Dance

A poetic encounter between crystal and body: uncovering the hidden links between crystallography, modern dance, and flamenco.

Image for The Crystal and the rose.

The Crystal and the rose

Between symmetry and sensuality: the cultural legacy of crystals in art, science, and thought.

Image for The origin of the crystals’ allure.

The origin of the crystals’ allure

Crystals and consciousness: how crystals may have shaped the dawn of human thought.

Teaching & Education

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We are working on the organisation of a COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop on ‘Mineral and Materials Sciences for Space Exploration’ in Kenya

Exploring planetary materials, origins of life, and the future of space research.

Crystallization contest in schools (Kenya)

A project that is part of a broader educational program aimed at promoting and developing STEM subjects among Kenyan students.

Image by DIPC: Crystallization Contest in Schools, SPAIN.

Crystallization contest in schools (Spain)

Crystallization as a gateway to scientific thinking in secondary education.

What the press says about us

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The New York Times

Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals

Las entrevistas de Aimar. SER Podcast.

SER Podcast / Spotify

Las entrevistas de Aimar: Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, investigador

The Washington Post

How did life on Earth begin? Cracks may have been the key

The microscopic “protocells” observed in the experiment carried out by Juan Manuel García Ruiz's team. Credits: Christian Jenewein y Alicia Rivera. Source: ElPais.com

El País / US Edition

Protocells emerge in experiment simulating lifeless world: ‘There is no divine breath of life’

«Lo que nos hace humanos es saber que vamos a desaparecer»

Radio Euskadi / La mecánica del Caracol

En busca de los orígenes de la vida

Upcoming Events

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La Orotava, Tenerife

Juan Manuel García-Ruiz participa en las jornadas “El origen de la vida” en La Orotava

Conferencia de Juan Manuel García-Ruiz sobre el papel de la sílice en el origen de la vida, dentro de las jornadas “El origen de la vida”.

CIC Cartuja, Sevilla

La tierra que acunó la vida: el papel de la sílice

Professor Ikerbasque Juan Manuel García-Ruiz (Donostia International Physics Center) will give a lecture titled “The Earth that Cradled Life: The Role of Silica” at 7:00pm at the Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid (MARPA)

Mini-series: «Atracción Cristalina / Crystal Allure»

Crystal Allure is a 3-episode miniseries in which professor Juan Manuel García-Ruiz presents a study on the origin of our fascination with crystals. The research was published in Frontiers in Psychology on March 2026. The series explains the experiments conducted with chimpanzees at Rainfer-Fundación Chimpatía and explores why hominids may feel attracted to crystals.