Molecular Evolution
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Research Projects

The CRC will focus on autonomous and cooperative strategies and methods to address molecular evolution with the long-term goal to breed function through evolution. To solve the problem of the emergence of Darwinian evolution, we will approach it from two different perspectives, reflected by the Research Areas within the structure of the CRC

Research Area A: Replication and selection towards function

will explore novel mechanisms to implement the molecular cycle of RNA replication, strand separation, variation and selection to drive molecular evolution

Code

Title

PI
A1 Enzyme-free replication of RNA sequences Clemens Richert
A2 Early evolutionary cycles starting from 2’,3’-cyclic ribonucleotides Dieter Braun
A3 Catalytic cofactor ancestors to promote P‒O bond formation for RNA polymerization Golo Storch
A4 Stochastic simulation of inter-reacting RNA molecules Ulrich Gerland
A5 Non-equilibrium dynamics in nucleic acid sequence pools Friedrich Simmel
A6 Selection of prebiotic building blocks by cyclic phase transitions Christoph Weber
A7 Evolutionary organocatalyst - Riboglycosides Oliver Trapp
A8 RNA-catalyzed DNA synthesis Claudia Höbartner
A9 Early ribogene expression and the transition from RNA to DNA-genomes Hannes Mutschler
A10 The evolutionary origin of the genetic code Andres Jäschke
A11 Directed evolution of metallopeptides for prebiotic catalysis Cathleen Zeymer

Research Area B: Environments driving molecular evolution

will study the environments that can feed the system, support catalysis and allow compartmentalization in non-equilibrium settings to drive evolution

Code

Title

PI
B1 Habitability of moons around free-floating planets Barbara Ercolano
B2 Molecular evolution of nitrogen containing organic compounds in meteorites Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
B3 Magmatic enrichment of prebiotic elements Daniel Weidendorfer
B4 Shallow geothermal systems: Physicochemical factories for molecular evolution Bettina Scheu
B5 Heat flow driven non-equilibrium environments to foster molecular evolution Christof Mast
B6 Ribozyme trapping in ferruginous chemical gardens William Orsi
B7 Controlling transport for RNA enrichment in 2D-alkaline chimneys Karen Alim
B8 Biomolecular condensates for early biology Henrike Niederholtmeyer
B10 Engineering and evolution of membraneselectivity with RNA nanostructures Kerstin Göpfrich
B11 Membranes as catalytic surfaces for prebiotic self-organization Petra Schwille