Bridging disciplines: the Origins Federation Conference 2024
The second edition of the Origins Federation Conference brought together in Cambridge its diverse and ever more consolidated scientific community. Researchers from the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich share their impressions.
After the inaugural conference at the Harvard University in September 2023, the Origins Federation held the second edition of the conference in Cambridge this year. Scientists from the 'origins and prevalence of life' research community shared their findings and explored how different scientific disciplines can contribute to the field.
A common language: the challenge of interdisciplinarity
"It is frighteningly easy to spend all day discussing the origin and prevalence of life while munching on biscuits so sugary you can feel your blood turning to syrup," one scientist at the Origins Federation conference disarmingly reported. While the sweet taste may be a common ground on which researchers from radically different disciplines can meet, this year's gathering at the external page Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe, University of Cambridge, offered other significant opportunities for interdisciplinarity to unfold.
Physicists, chemists and biologists, alongside planetary scientists and philosophers, brought their own perspectives to the ongoing research on life in our universe. Noting the diversity of knowledge, David Degen, doctoral student at ETH Zurich, reflected on the challenge and the skill of successful communication between fields. "Bridging gaps in prior knowledge takes patience, creativity, and often, a willingness to ask the most basic of questions," he noted. As Daniel Angerhausen, senior scientist at ETH Zurich, also notes, breaking down complex concepts for a multidisciplinary audience is no easy task, but one that is all the more important. Yet it is precisely this willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries and create a common scientific language that fuels the potential of the conference.
NOMIS–ETH postdoctoral fellow Sean Jordan agreed, highlighting how the conference wove together very different topics, such as magma ocean planets and prebiotic chemistry. One particularly engaging session, led by Tim Lichtenberg of the University of Groningen, took participants on a cosmic journey from the volatile magma oceans of super-Earths such as '55 Cancri e' to the cooling surface of the early Earth – a stage that eventually gave rise to life. The evolving interplay between atmospheres and molten surfaces on exoplanets may hold important clues to understanding the conditions that led to life on Earth.
(Photo: David Degen) Posters at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe) Participants during a break at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe) Frank Laukien and Dimitar D. Sasselov of Harvard University at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo:Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe) Session led by Jayne Birkby of University of Oxford at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe) Dinner at Trinity College during the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Komal Bali) Daniel Angerhausen of ETH Zurich at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe) Didier Queloz and David Degen of ETH Zurich at the Origins Federation Conference 2024. (Photo: Graham Copekoga, Courtesy of Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe)
The multitude of perspectives
The conference also stimulated philosophical discussions on the definition of life itself. Prompted by the session led by Laurie Barge of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dario Barillà, master's student at ETH Zurich, reflected on the challenge of distinguishing life from non-life, a topic that is particularly relevant in the context of detecting biosignatures on distant planets. Inspired by the idea of spectrums rather than binaries, he considered whether life exists along a continuum, from simple chemistry to complex biology, blurring the boundaries between the living and the non-living.
The "virus and mule problem", which questions the nature of life and its limits, remained at the centre of these philosophical debates. Dario noted that while these discussions did not necessarily lead to clear answers, they certainly sparked meaningful reflection on what it means to identify life in its earliest or most unusual forms.
A hub for cross-disciplinary collaboration
The Origins Federation conference brought together experts from previously unconnected fields, and this cross-disciplinary nature of the gathering was a revelation for NOMIS-ETH postdoctoral fellow Taylor Priest. "It laid the groundwork for identifying and building new cross-disciplinary collaborations," he reflected, adding that the diverse perspectives helped him appreciate how the same scientific questions can be approached in fundamentally different ways.
Craig Walton, NOMIS–ETH postdoctoral fellow, who has been involved in the field of the origin and prevalence of life for several years, noted the growing momentum of the community. "For the first time, we had participants who had never considered the topic of life’s origins before, but who possess valuable expertise that can push the field forward," he said. The sense of collective excitement was palpable, with discussions ranging from the discovery of organic-rich deposits on Mars to the emerging debate over the potentially habitable exoplanet 'K2-18b'. "It feels like we’re gaining critical mass – maybe we’ll soon answer some of these huge questions!" Craig added.
The conference provided an important networking platform for both senior and early career researchers. Komal Bali, PhD student at ETH Zurich, had the opportunity to present her doctoral work and interact with eminent scientists in the field: "It was great to network with the Origins community and learn about each other's research."
As the field continues to gain momentum, the breadth of the research and the challenges ahead are becoming increasingly apparent. Reflecting on the scope of the work, doctoral student Marilina Valatsou noted, "It was really exciting and eye-opening to see how much work has been done, needs to be done, and how many things we need to consider as we search for extraterrestrial life and suitable environments for life to develop." With new discoveries and collaborations emerging, the search for life in our universe progresses, fuelled by the collective efforts of scientists from across disciplines.