Research Projects
The Centre supports yearly research projects that foster joint interdisciplinary collaborations between COPL Members, ideally from different disciplines. Currently, there are five projects that have been selected for funding.
Ongoing Projects
2024
Title:
Investigating the co-evolution of planets and life
Investigators:
PI: Loïc Pellissier (D-USYS)
Co-I: Camille Albouy (D-USYS), Sean Willett (D-EAPS), Paul Tackley (D-EAPS)
Synopsis:
With this project, we aim to unravel the complex feedback between Earth's physical processes and the evolution of life by using advanced simulations. By integrating geodynamics, climate, surface processes, and biological evolution, we aim to understand how changes in Earth's interior influence photosynthetic life and how these organisms, in turn, shape the planet's physical dynamics.
Investigators:
PI: Paolo Sossi (D-EAPS)
Co-I: Nico Küter (D-EAPS), Maggie Thompson (D-EAPS)
Synopsis:
The ingredients for the origin of life may have had humble beginnings as gaseous molecules, such as methane, in the atmosphere of the early Earth and on other planets. Their subsequent destruction by stellar ultraviolet light can produce a bevy of new molecules and, in so doing, potentially provide the feedstocks for prebiotic reactions to proceed. Here, we aim to experimentally quantify the identities of, and the rates at which these photochemical reactions occur, and whether isotopic traces of the existence of such molecules can be detected in ancient rocks on Earth.
2023
Title:
Evolution and Diversity of Super-Earth Atmospheres
Investigators:
PI: Caroline Dorn (D-PHYS),
Co-I: Paul Tackley (D-EAPS)
Synopsis:
We will map out the possible evolution paths of super-Earths. Especially, we will quantify how planetary radii, atmospheric compositions, and surface conditions change over time. Whether water oceans can form and be sustained over long time periods is crucial for the potential of a planet to harbour life.
Title:
Investigations into the diversity of cell-cell associations and non-standard life using metagenomics and cryogenic electron microscopy
Investigators:
PI: Cara Magnabosco (D-EAPS),
Co-Is: Martin Pilhofer (D-BIOL), Vasil Gaisin (D-BIOL)
Synopsis:
The “Genomics Revolution” has resulted in the identification of new groups of microorganisms that help inform deep evolutionary relationships and new metabolic pathways that improve interpretations of the biogeochemical record. However, less than 1% of this microbial diversity has been directly observed and the interactions between these organisms are largely unknown. To help bridge this gap, we will apply metagenomic and cryogenic electron microcopy analyses to investigate the diversity, prevalence and genetic markers of cell-cell interactions within samples obtained from early Earth analog environments.
Investigators:
PI: Sascha Quanz (D-PHYS),
Co-I: Derek Vance (D-EAPS)
Synopsis:
A long-term goal of exoplanetary science is to identify habitable planets beyond the Solar System and to search for indications of extraterrestrial life. In this project, we investigate how the Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE), a Swiss-led large future exoplanet space mission, can contribute to this goal. Specifically, we quantify how well remotely detectable observational signatures need to be measured by LIFE for observers to conclude that an exoplanet is indeed habitable or inhabited.