Orgin and early evolution of life with William Martin
This episode is with William (Bill) Martin. He is the head of the institute of molecular evolution at the University of Düsseldorf. With a career spanning over decades, he has made significant contributions to the field of molecular biology, particularly in the areas of evolution and symbiosis. Here we talk about the question of origin of life, importance of metabolism, prebiotic chemistry at hydrothermal vents, emergence of information, compartmentalization, and early evolution of cells.
Guest info:
Episode links:
Website Youtube Spotify Apple podcast Google podcast
Follow Reason with Science:
Website Youtube Spotify Apple podcast Google podcast
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:51 Charles Darwin's idea of warm little pond
00:04:19 Progress in the field of origin of life
00:13:46 Importance of energy for origin of life
00:20:40 Origin of life at the hydrothermal vents
00:30:45 Reaction of hydrogen and Carbon-DI-oxide at the hydrothermal vents
00:36:40 Crucial transitions for origin of cellular life
00:55:06 Emergence of information at hydrothermal vents
01:01:56 Importance of enzymes
01:06:25 Link between information and compartmentalization
01:08:24 Last Bacterial Common Ancestor (LBCA) and Last Archaeal Common Ancestor (LACA)
01:11:14 Importance of phase separation
01:16:10 Origin of life as an engineering problem
01:21:40 Life on exoplanets
01:23:57 Thank you!
Music by: Ahmed Hassan (https://www.youtube.com/@2ays577/featured)