The Origins Federation Conference 2024 will take place between 10 and 13 September in Cambridge
The second edition of the Origins Federation Conference will take place at the Møller Institute, University of Cambridge (UK), showcasing the latest research on life in our Universe.
The Origins Federation is a research consortium focused on understanding the emergence and early evolution of life, and its place in the cosmos. It organises an annual scientific conference that brings together researchers in the field of the origin and prevalence of life. The topics to be discussed at the Møller Institute this year include: prebiotic chemistry/ molecular evolution, (Exo)planets & Planet Formation/ evolution, planetary environments/geo chemistry, philosophy of science/biology, synthetic biology and evolution of life.
The Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich is one of the four founding members of the Origins Federation, alongside The Origins of Life Initiative (Harvard University, US), the Center for the Origins of Life (University of Chicago, US) and the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe (University of Cambridge, UK).
“For thousands of years, humanity and science have contemplated the origins of life in the Universe. While today’s scientists are well-equipped with innovative technologies, humanity has a long way to go before we fully understand the fundamental aspects of what life is and how it forms. ”Carl Zimmer, columnist, The New York Times and author of “Life’s Edge: The search for what it means to be alive".
Founded in March 2023, the Origins Federation pursues scientific research topics of interest to its founding centres with a long-term perspective and common milestones, while striving to establish a stable funding platform to create opportunities for creative and innovative ideas, and to enable young scientists to make a career in this new field.
The first Origins Federation science conference took place at Harvard University (2023), while the upcoming two meetings are foreseen to be organised at University of Chicago (2025) and ETH Zurich (2026).