If the OOL is of interest …

… then here is something you may be interested in.

From the main page:

A three-day workshop using NAI remote communications tools will be held on November 8, 9 & 10, 2010. Participants will discuss ‘top down’ origin of life research, which will ultimately allow us to rewind the evolutionary record of biochemical processes and assemblies.

Organized by John Peters and Loren Williams, PIs of the NAI’s Montana State University and Georgia Tech teams, a primary goal of the workshop is to foster new interdisciplinary collaborations across the community.

Session topics will include

• Phylogenetic Studies on Key Enzymes Involved in Information Pathways and Metabolism
• The Evolutionary History of Protein Synthesis
• Minerals to Enzymes – Bridging the Gap Between Metal Based Abiotic and Biological Chemistry
• Phylogenetic Reconstruction/Resurrection – A Glimpse into Extinct Biochemistry
• What can Modern Biological Energy Transformation Systems Tell Us About Conditions on the Early Earth?
• Linking the Evolutionary Record to the Geological Record

Also:

It will be easy to join in! All you will need is a computer with a browser and an internet connection—no special software or hardware is required. The slides and video of the speaker will be displayed in your browser, and you will be able to hear the presentations through the speaker on your computer. Questions will be entered in a “chat” area in the browser window. We’ll be sending out the link and other info about a week before the conference. Thanks for registering. We’re glad you’ll be joining us!