Molecular Evolution Department

Head of Department

Today, life on Earth is found in many forms and is distributed over a wide variety of environments, with very different physico-chemical conditions, in some cases far from the values considered optimal for the stability of biological molecules and for the development of basic life functions. The study, at the molecular level, of the processes that have facilitated the emergence of such a high degree of biological diversity on an initially inert planet is the main objective of the research carried out in the Department of Molecular Evolution.

This is structured around three main lines (Prebiotic Chemistry, Molecular Evolution and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Adaptation) which are developed in six research groups:

Coordinated research between these groups aims to answer fundamental questions related to the emergence of the precursor molecules of life, including those responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information, the mechanisms driving biological diversification and the simulation of evolutionary processes in the laboratory. Finally, another major objective of the department is the implementation of technologies for the detection of biomolecules and life-related processes in other planets of our Solar System..

Members | Researchers