The Chicago Center for the Origins of Life supports multidisciplinary research focused on understanding how life developed on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere.
We bring together scientists of all career stages across the Physical Sciences Division of the University of Chicago to promote, encourage, and support fundamental research in this area, train early-career scientists in cross-disciplinary scientific exploration, and foster a community of innovative thinkers that push traditional disciplinary boundaries in the advancement of knowledge.
Center Highlights

Origins of Life Newsletter Spring ’25
Stay up to date with the Center’s newest developments

The Origin of Life on Earth, Explained
The UChicago Explainer series delves into the University’s history with the study of the origins of life

Unraveling the Mystery of Life’s Origins on Earth, with Jack Szostak
Jack Szostak’s delves into one of science’s most fundamental questions on the Big Brains podcast