Stirnemann Lab

Research focus

ERC Starting Grant · 2017

ABIOtic Synthesis of RNA: an investigation on how life started before biology existed

The emergence of life is one of the most fascinating and yet largely unsolved questions in the natural sciences, and thus a significant challenge for scientists from many disciplines. There is growing evidence that ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymers, which are capable of genetic information storage and self-catalysis, were involved in the early forms of life. But despite recent progress, RNA synthesis without biological machineries is very challenging. The current project aims at understanding how to synthesize RNA in abiotic conditions. I will solve problems associated with three critical aspects of RNA formation that I will rationalize at a molecular level: (i) accumulation of precursors,…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.