This town talk will be presented by David Lancy, University of Buffalo.

How did the atoms in the universe come together to form life? At the heart of this mystery is the conversion of small molecules into the building blocks of life, driven by metallocofactors—enzyme-like catalysts conserved across all domains of life. The chemical ancestors of these metallocofactors are thought to have been active prior to the traditional bounds of life, such as dynamic molecular architectures at mineral surfaces in early oceans. Understanding these chemistries in unusual abiotic environments enables unique insight into how life may have started and evolved into its present form. In this talk, I will share some of the exciting new developments in the science of extraterrestrial photosynthesis (the search for light-harvesting life on other planets) and other metal-based processes that underpin life on Earth, and possibly the cosmos.