{"677141":{"#nid":"677141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Researcher Leads $6 Million NASA Astrobiology Study","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBillions of years ago, self-replicating systems of molecules became separated from one another by membranes, resulting in the first cells. Over time, evolving cells enriched the living world with an astonishing diversity of new shapes and biochemical innovations, all made possible by compartments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECompartmentalization is how all\u0026nbsp;living systems\u0026nbsp;are organized today\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;from proteins and small molecules sharing space in separate phases\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;dividing labor and specialized functions\u0026nbsp;within and among cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, with $6 million in support from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENASA\u003C\/a\u003E, a team of researchers led by Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/frank-rosenzweig\u0022\u003EFrank Rosenzweig\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;will study the organizing principles of compartmentalization in a five-year project called Engine of Innovation: How Compartmentalization Drives Evolution of Novelty and Efficiency Across Scales\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s one of seven new projects selected recently by NASA as part of its\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/nasa-selects-cross-divisional-teams-for-astrobiology-research\u0022\u003EInterdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research (ICAR) program\u003C\/a\u003E. ICAR is embedded among NASA\u2019s five\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/research\/astrobiology-at-nasa\/rcns\/\u0022\u003EAstrobiology Research Coordination Networks (RCNs).\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Rosenzweig is co-lead for the RCN launched in 2022,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/nasa-astrobiology-unveils-new-research-coordination-network-abscicon-2022\u0022\u003ELIFE: Early Cells to Multicellularity\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re excited by the prospect of exploring this fundamental question through the interplay of theory and experiment,\u201d said Rosenzweig, professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, whose team of co-Investigators includes biochemists, geologists, cell biologists, and theoreticians from leading NASA research centers: Jeff Cameron, Shelley Copley, Alexis Templeton, and Boswell Wing from the University of Colorado Boulder; Josh Goldford and Victoria Orphan from California Institute of Technology; and John McCutcheon from Arizona State University. Collaborating with them is Chris Kempes, professor at the Santa Fe Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERosenzweig is also eager to eventually collaborate with existing ICAR teams, such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/museastrobiology.org\/\u0022\u003EMUSE\u003C\/a\u003E, led by the University of Wisconsin\u2019s Bet\u00fcl Ka\u00e7ar, a former Georgia Tech postdoctoral researcher, and newly selected teams, such as Retention of Habitable Atmospheres in Planetary Systems, led by Dave Brain at University of Colorado Boulder.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, he plans to build upon Georgia Tech\u2019s outstanding reputation in astrobiology, where a cluster of researchers, such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/glass-dr-jennifer\u0022\u003EJen Glass\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hud.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ENick Hud\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/thomas-orlando\u0022\u003EThom Orlando\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/amanda-stockton\u0022\u003EAmanda Stockton\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/williams.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E, among others, is engaged in a diverse range of work supported by NASA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is just the latest chapter in a long history of excellence in NASA research at Georgia Tech, one written by my colleagues across the Institute,\u201d Rosenzweig said.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENASA awarded $6 million to a research team led by Georgia Tech\u2019s Frank Rosenzweig to study how compartmentalization drives evolution. This five-year project, part of NASA\u2019s Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research (ICAR) program, aims to explore how the organization of molecules within cells fosters evolutionary efficiency and novelty.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NASA awarded $6 million to a research team led by Georgia Tech\u2019s Frank Rosenzweig to study how compartmentalization drives evolution. "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2024-09-26 16:54:46","changed_gmt":"2024-10-30 19:43:35","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675131":{"id":"675131","type":"image","title":"FrankRosenzweig","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFrank Rosenzweig, professor in the School of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1727369409","gmt_created":"2024-09-26 16:50:09","changed":"1727369538","gmt_changed":"2024-09-26 16:52:18","alt":"Frank Rosenzweig, astrobiology researcher","file":{"fid":"258726","name":"FrankRosenzweig.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/26\/FrankRosenzweig.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/26\/FrankRosenzweig.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2235954,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/26\/FrankRosenzweig.jpg?itok=DRHl8EYt"}}},"media_ids":["675131"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"1325","name":"aerospace"},{"id":"722","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"1757","name":"Astrobiology Institute"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}