[지구시스템] [초청세미나] Dr. Jingbo Nan(Chinese Academy of Sciences)
일시 : 2025-09-09(화) 11:00 ~ 11:30
연사 : Dr. Jingbo Nan
소속 : Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS
문의 : 최승 박사 (seung0521@snu.ac.kr)
장소 : 24동 103호 세미나실
Title: How did life’s building blocks form before life existed?
[Abstract]
Where did the building blocks of life come from? One possibility is that they formed naturally in Earth’s early hydrothermal environments—places like hot springs and deep-sea vents—long before life existed. In this talk, I will explore how simple inorganic molecules like carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) could have turned into organic compounds—molecules essential for life—without the help of living organisms. I will focus on two types of environments. First, surface hydrothermal systems, like ancient hot springs, where sunlight and warm, mineral-rich waters might have helped kickstart chemical reactions. We tested how iron-based minerals—similar to those found in early Earth rocks—can act like natural catalysts, turning CO2 into simple organic molecules such as methanol. We found that adding certain metals (like manganese) and exposing the system to light can significantly boost this process. Second, I will talk about deep hydrothermal systems, hidden beneath the ocean floor, where water reacts with rock over long periods. In samples from the oceanic crust, we discovered organic compounds closely linked to iron-rich minerals. Our results suggest these minerals may have helped form and stabilize organic compounds even at low temperatures, without sunlight. Together, these findings show that different kinds of hydrothermal environments—both shallow and deep—could have contributed to the origin of life’s chemistry. By studying how nature builds complex molecules from simple ingredients, we get one step closer to understanding how life might have begun on Earth—and possibly on other planets too.
[Abstract]
Where did the building blocks of life come from? One possibility is that they formed naturally in Earth’s early hydrothermal environments—places like hot springs and deep-sea vents—long before life existed. In this talk, I will explore how simple inorganic molecules like carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) could have turned into organic compounds—molecules essential for life—without the help of living organisms. I will focus on two types of environments. First, surface hydrothermal systems, like ancient hot springs, where sunlight and warm, mineral-rich waters might have helped kickstart chemical reactions. We tested how iron-based minerals—similar to those found in early Earth rocks—can act like natural catalysts, turning CO2 into simple organic molecules such as methanol. We found that adding certain metals (like manganese) and exposing the system to light can significantly boost this process. Second, I will talk about deep hydrothermal systems, hidden beneath the ocean floor, where water reacts with rock over long periods. In samples from the oceanic crust, we discovered organic compounds closely linked to iron-rich minerals. Our results suggest these minerals may have helped form and stabilize organic compounds even at low temperatures, without sunlight. Together, these findings show that different kinds of hydrothermal environments—both shallow and deep—could have contributed to the origin of life’s chemistry. By studying how nature builds complex molecules from simple ingredients, we get one step closer to understanding how life might have begun on Earth—and possibly on other planets too.
첨부파일 (1개)
- 2-1. Abstract_NanJingbo.pdf (91 KB, download:10)
