Course Syllabus
Session 1
Critique of Current Origin of Life Research
Prof. James Tour
Rice University, USA
Session 1 – Detail
- Theory of Abiogenesis
- What is the characteristics of Life?
- Chemical synthesis experiment in Origin of Life
- The Synthesis Problem
- Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis, DNA Synthesis
- Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity
- Homochirality, Interactomes
- The Assembly Problem
- Make the simplest living cell and many more.
Session 2
Establishing Our Links to The Cosmos
Prof. N. C. Wickramasinghe
University of Buckingham, UK
Session 2 – Detail
Long history of ideas connecting life on Earth to Cosmos
Fashionable theory of spontaneous generation and Abiogenesis
- Aristotlean View
- Copernican revolution, Galileo’s Discoveries in Astronomy
- Vedic Cosmology, Buddhist Cosmology
- Western theory of Life’s Origin and many more.
Session 3
How did Life begin?
Dr. Shashi Kotagiri
MD Anderson Cancer Center,
University of Texas, USA
Session 3 – Detail
- Theory of Biogenesis and Abiogenesis
- RNA World Theory
- Protocells
- RNA as Autocatalyst
- Salient findings on Ribozymes
- Limitations of RNA world
- The Mystery of the Minimal cell
- JCVI-syn3.0 and many more.
Session 4
What is Life? –
Temptation and Beyond
Mr. Varun Agarwal
Alumnus IIT Kanpur, India
Session 4 – Detail
- Temptations in history of Science
- Wohler’s Urea Synthesis
- Miller’s Experiment
- Various Proposed theories
- Going Beyond Temptations – Deeper Issues
- Mystery of Language
- The Equation of Life: Moving beyond Temptations
- Vedanta about Life and many more.