The Earth that cradled life: the role of silica – Juan Manuel García-Ruiz (DIPC e IACT-CSIC)

In this lecture, we will explore the geochemical niches of early Earth that may have hosted the transition from inorganic geochemistry to organic geochemistry, and from there to prebiotic chemistry and the emergence of complexity leading to the first life-like structures.

We will unveil the crucial role of minerals—particularly silica—in mineral self-organization and in the heterogeneous catalysis of prebiotic chemistry. Finally, we will discuss the relevance of these experimental findings to the origin of life and to the detection of primitive life, both on Earth and beyond.