What if the origins of life weren’t a single pathway, but a whole network of chemistry + biology speaking to each other from the very beginning? Our latest post from John Sutherland’s talk explores this integrative view. 🔗 copl.ethz.ch/news/COPL-ne...

COPL supports three new research projects, each exploring explore life’s origins – from multiple ancestry hypotheses to prebiotic energy cycles and ocean-world habitability. copl.ethz.ch/news/COPL-ne... @tanjastadler.bsky.social @bsse.ethz.ch @eth-eaps.bsky.social

We welcomed two new NOMIS–ETH Fellows this month! ☀️ Thomas Drant – recreating early Earth’s photochemistry to study how life began. @eth-eaps.bsky.social 🌍 @aaffholder.bsky.social – modelling planetary oxygenation and the emergence of habitable worlds. @usyseth.bsky.social shorturl.at/RgmNo

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Dr. Rhonda Morgan, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA/Caltech "Revolutionizing Design: Optimizing HWO Architecture for Biosignature Detection from NUV to NIR Wavelengths" Friday, 10 October 2025, 12:30pm, NO D 45, ETH Zentrum copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

Thirty years ago, Swiss physicist Didier Queloz discovered the first planet outside our solar system, revolutionising astrophysics. In 2019, he received the Nobel Prize for his discovery. But he still hasn’t had enough. Why? Find out in the video. 👇

Are distant exoplanets really ocean worlds? 🌍✨ New ETH Zurich research shows they’re much drier than believed — with only limited water on their surfaces. This changes how we search for habitable planets and suggests Earth may not be so unique after all. Read more:

Forschende der ETH Zürich konnten erstmals messen, wie sich die Menge an gelöstem organischem Kohlenstoff im Meer über die Jahrmillionen verändert hat. Die Resultate zeigen, dass unsere Erklärungen, wie Eiszeiten und komplexes Leben entstanden, lückenhaft sind. Mehr Dazu:

Our NOMIS–ETH fellow Antonin Affholder recently joined SETI Live to discuss his study on the potential for microscopic life in Titan’s ocean.

The Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe Senior Fellowship programme is now open. Further details and how to apply www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/lclu-se... @leverhulme.ac.uk

📣 Open Call – Applications are now open for the 2025 NOMIS–ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships at the @copl-eth.bsky.social. @ethz.ch A great opportunity for early-career researchers to lead interdisciplinary projects on the origin & prevalence of life. Learn more and apply: shorturl.at/RfjJJ

COPL Special Seminar with Prof. Benjamin Tutolo, University of Calgary "Salty Waters: Life’s Origins and Biological Habitability on Earth (and Mars?)" Monday, 14 July 2025, 15:15pm, NO E 39, ETH Zentrum @eth-eaps.bsky.social copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

We're happy to share that Dr. Gabriel Giger has won the 2025 Origins Federation PhD Prize for his research on lab-induced endosymbiosis, done in the #VorholtLab @ethz.ch. He'll present at the #OriginsFederation annual conference in Chicago this fall. More: copl.ethz.ch/news/COPL-ne...

Last week, we took a trip into the Bedretto Lab. Led by Cara Magnabosco, the visit explored her team’s work on rock-breathing microbes living below the surface. Funded by COPL, her research blends metagenomics, cryo-EM & machine learning to study deep life. 🌍🪐 More here: shorturl.at/4I0Dd

Many types of bacteria produce a protein complex that injects toxins into neighbouring cells to eliminate competitors. For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich and Eawag discovered that these killer bacteria also use this weapon to feed on their neighbours. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Phytoplankton in the ocean is key to CO2 sequestration. Now researchers found a cycle of micronutrients for its growth which was thought of as non-existent. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Prof. Caroline Dorn, @ethz.ch "New insights into super-Earths and sub-Neptunes" Friday, 23 May 2025, 12:30pm, NO D 45, ETH Zentrum copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

Breaking news and a great honour for D-BIOL professor Jörn Piel: he wins the very prestigious Jung Prize for Medicine! Our congratulations! ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Prof. Dongyang Huang, Peking University "Sequestration of volatiles into cores of rocky planets" Friday, 16 May 2025, 12:30pm, HIT F 23.2, ETH Hönggerberg copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

What if we couldn't find #Life in #Space? Find out on Fraiser Cain's 'Universe Today' podcast, featuring ETH researcher Daniel Angerhausen from the Centre for the Origin and Prevalence of Life. @copl-eth.bsky.social @eth-eaps.bsky.social @fcain.universetoday.com

The planned space missions to search for remote life will provide valuable insights even if they do not find any evidence of life, says astrophysicist Daniel Angerhausen. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Prof. Alexandra Turchyn, @cambridgeuni.bsky.social "Earth's habitable climate: The role of the ocean crust in regulating the carbon cycle over geological time" Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 12:30pm, HIT F 23.2, ETH Hönggerberg. copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

Working on natural or directed evolution? A 5-day summer school in Lausanne this July will bring together students across fields to explore evolution at multiple scales – molecular to microbial. Register by 1 May 2025: evolution-school25.epfl.ch

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Prof. Dr. Audrey Vorburger, @unibe.ch "The Search for Life in the Outer Solar System" The seminar will take place on Friday, 11 April 2025, at 12:30pm, in NO D 45, ETH Zentrum. copl.ethz.ch/events/detai... @eth-eaps.bsky.social

We are delighted to announce the 2025 cohort of NOMIS-ETH postdoctoral fellows. Thomas Drant and @aaffholder.bsky.social are joining the COPL, thanks to the generous support of the NOMIS Foundation. copl.ethz.ch/news/COPL-ne... @ethzurich.bsky.social @eth-eaps.bsky.social @usyseth.bsky.social

Wie kam das Leben auf die Erde? Maria Schönbächler will das herausfinden und untersucht deshalb Meteoriten. Im SRF «Focus»-Podcast gibt sie Einblick in ihre Forschung und ihren Werdegang von der Postbeamtin zur Wissenschaftlerin an der @ethzurich.bsky.social, wo sie seit 10 Jahren lehrt.

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Prof. Klára Hlouchová @hlouchova-lab.bsky.social "Why these amino acids?" The seminar will take place on Wednesday, 2 April 2025, at 12:30pm, in HIT F 23.2, ETH Hönggerberg. copl.ethz.ch/events/detai... @eth-bsse.bsky.social @eth-dbiol.bsky.social

Life requires sufficient #Phosphorus, which is scarce. Researchers in the #OriginOfLife field have found #Answers about where adequate phosphorus existed four billion years ago for life to emerge. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Asgard archaea have actin - but what about microtubules? Where do they come from? 🧐 Our new paper www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... by @xujwet.bsky.social & @florianwollweber.bsky.social, in collaboration with the Schleper & Wieczorek labs, describes tiny Asgard microtubules! #TeamTomo #ArchaeaSky 1/6

Astronomy on Tap Zurich is back with its third event "Unlocking the Universe: From Cosmic Beginnings to Invisible Waves!". Wednesday, 26 March 2025, 18.30 New location at Amboss Rampe, Zurich Be sure to get your free ticket and secure your space. www.eventbrite.com/e/astronomy-...

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Dr. Vasil Gaisin @ethzurich.bsky.social @eth-dbiol.bsky.social "Imaging ultra-small microbial cells from deep subsurface environment" The seminar will take place on Friday, 21 March 2025, at 12:30pm, in HIT F 23.2, ETH Hönggerberg. copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

How did life begin? Are we alone? Scientists at @copl-eth.bsky.social explore life’s origins, from early Earth chemistry to meteorite-delivered building blocks. Meanwhile, the LIFE mission, led by Sascha Quanz, searches for biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres. Read more: shorturl.at/OEnum

Julia Vorholt wins the 2025 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize for her groundbreaking research on plant microbiomes! Our congratulations to this outstanding achievement! 🎉 biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

COPL 101 Lunch Seminar with Dr. Craig Walton NOMIS–ETH Fellow at @copl-eth.bsky.social, @eth-eaps.bsky.social "New ideas of origins: Earth, life, and animals" The seminar will take place on Friday, 14 March 2025, at 12:30pm, in NO D 45, ETH Zentrum. copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...

At the COPL Colloquium, astrophysicist @saraseager.bsky.social talked about her current research on the atmosphere of Venus, showing how its chemistry and cloud characteristics are compatible with Venusian life. copl.ethz.ch/news/COPL-ne...

For decades, scientists have been speculating that Venus’ perpetual cloud cover might host life.... Join the Colloquium with @saraseager.bsky.social to find out, whether Venus could be potentially habitable. 📆 20.02. 🕜 12.30-13.30h 📍 HIT E Siemens Auditorium copl.ethz.ch/events/detai...