The 14th International Conference on the “Origin of Life” opened at Tsinghua on June 20, bringing together more than 300 scientists from home and abroad for the week-long meeting.

Tsinghua Vice President Gong Ke addressed the distinguished group at the opening ceremony, saying he was very happy that Tsinghua was hosting the event, which is sponsored by the International Society on Study of the Origin of Life.

He said he hoped that Tsinghua students and teachers who are interested in life science could learn from the renowned scientists during the meeting.

Professor C.N.Yang, honorary chairman of the meeting, Mr. Li Bing, Deputy Director of State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, and Professor Antonio Lazcano, president of ISSOL, also attended the ceremony.

Nearly a dozen topics will be covered at the conference, including astrobiology/exobiology, chemical evolution, primitive earth, syntheses and replication in the RNA world, early evolution of cells, genomics, fossil records of life, the search for life in the solar system, the origin of life in the extreme condition, and philosophy and education in the origin of life.

The conference is organized by ISSOL every three years. As the highest-level meeting of its kind in the study of the origin of life, the meeting attracts scientists from around the globe in fields such as chemistry, biology, geology, and physics. 

This is the first time the meeting has been held in China.

Reported by Li Han