Astrobiology at Karolinska Institutet
Team Coordinator
Research
Our scientific interests in the area of Astrobiology include:
- Testing the "isotopic resonance" hypothesis suggesting that isotopic
compositions of the elements C, H, N and O affected the rate of abiotic
synthesis of first amino acids and peptides, as well as their continue to
affect the growth rates of terrestrial organisms. To test this hypothesis, we
have built Miller's apparatus to measure the yield of abiotic amino acid
production as a function of the isotopic composition of the starting material.
We are also measuring the growth rate of E. Coli bacteria in isotopically
different media.
- Testing the hypothesis of "self-assembly" of first bacteria by attempting to
restore a living prokaryotic organism from a "dead" mixture of ingredients
obtained by lysis of prokaryotic cells.
