Rutgers University – e.nig.ma

Are we alone? How did we get here? From simple proteins to living cells, NASA-funded researchers at Rutgers University are testing theories on how life arose on earth, and the likelihood of its happening elsewhere. The ENIGMA project is part of NASA’s focus on astrobiology – the study of whether extraterrestrial life exists, and whether we can find it. The Rutgers program focuses on a key astrobiological question: How did proteins emerge from the chemistry of the early Earth, and then evolve to become the basis of life itself? In this Tools of Science case study – join the team as they try to figure out how proteins, which the researchers describe as “sophisticated nanomachines,” evolved to create life on earth.