Nobel Laureate Dr. Jack Szostak Joins UI COM for Dean’s Distinguish Lecture Series
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On Monday, January 27, the University of Illinois College of Medicine welcomed Nobel Laureate Dr. Jack Szostak for its Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series. His presentation, “The Origin of Life: How did Chemistry Give Rise to Biology” explored the chemical paths different elements and molecules could have taken to create cellular life.
Dr. Szostak’s current research explores the origins of life, focusing on the laboratory synthesis of self-replicating systems. He is a University Professor and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. For his contributions to our understanding of telomere structure and function, as well as the role of telomere maintenance in preventing cellular senescence, he received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine shared with his co-researchers Drs. Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider.
At his Dean’s Distinguished Lecture, Dr. Szostak gave deep insight into the chemical behaviors that form the building blocks of cellular life, and how his research re-frames what to look for in terms of life-developing behavior. This raised the question as to whether Earth is unique in its lifeforms, or if life is a cosmic imperative and may be evident on other planets. While of course this question remains unanswered, Dr. Szostak remains optimistic about the possibility of lab-based creation. “It happened once,” he said.
The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture series was launched in fall 2022 to highlight research topics that integrate efforts by multidisciplinary teams. You can view Dr. Szostak’s full lecture on YouTube.