Abstract: 
The search for evidence of life elsewhere in the universe is hard because it is not obvious what signatures are unique to life.  We postulate that complex molecules found in high abundance are universal biosignatures as they cannot form by chance. To explore this, we developed a theory to quantify and measure molecular complexity based on the molecular assembly number (MA)  which describes the minimum number of steps required to construct the molecule probabilistically. We then mapped chemical space and collected data which showed the complexity of a molecule can be determined by using techniques like infra-red spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, or mass spectrometry. Application of this approach to a diverse set of samples from around the world, outer space,  and the laboratory demonstrates that there is a threshold in MA complexity above which the molecules found can only be created by a living system, and hence this approach forms the basis for an universal life detection instrument. 

Speaker: Dr. Cole Mathis, University of Glasgow.

Speaker bio: 
Cole is an interdisciplinary scientist interested in understanding the origin of living systems. He works in the Cronin Lab where he is focused on interlacing theory, experiment, and automation to characterize the transition between non-living and living systems. He has a PhD in theoretical physics from Arizona State University.

Host: Harrison Smith, ELSI.

Date: Fri, 4 December at 16:30 JST

Venue: Online