http://epms.es.tohoku.ac.jp/nreg/English.html
•Professor Takeshi Kakegawa,
has an interest in the origin of life, the interactions between life and environment on the early Earth, and ore deposits.
•Associate Professor Yoshihiro Furukawa,
has an interest in the origin of life, meteorite impacts, and the environments on the early Earth.
•Assistant Professor Akizumi Ishida,
has an interest in the origin of life, evolution of biosphere on the early Earth, and ore deposits.

 

The “origin of life” and “environments on the early Earth” are problems addressed by this group based on the information obtained by field survey and laboratory experiment. Experiments to synthesize amino acids, peptides, nucleic acid bases, and ribose are conducted under simulated Early earth conditions such as meteorite impact and diagenesis. The environments of the early Earth and evolution of primordial life are investigated through field surveys of ancient rocks in Greenland, Australia, and South Africa.

Our group investigates many geological strata throughout the world to find any “trace of life” in the rock. Such rock has information answering the questions of “What kind of life was formed first?” and “In what environment was it living?”. We are also investigating minerals and organics around hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents where we can find traces of ancient ecosystems. Hydrothermal environments also provide indispensable metal resources. Through geological survey and chemical analysis, we try to answer the problems about primordial earth and primordial life.

Our group works on problems related to the origin of life. We investigate the origin of life in the field of “Earth Science” because the history of the Earth knows the answer. We conduct experiments simulating many possible environments on the early earth including the impact plumes of meteorites, diagenesis, and aquatic environments. With these experiments, we try to answer how and when bio-important organic compounds were formed and chemically evolved.