GELIFES Seminars - Nathalie Katsonis

Nathalie Katsonis (Stratingh Institute for Chemistry)

On the possible origin of lipids and protocells in the early ocean

The origin of life on Earth is one of science’s great unresolved questions. The chemical and physical complexity of life, even early life, has arguably made this challenge all the greater since we cannot retrace the steps of life, beyond the fossil record. Four billion years ago, the Earth was covered in water and devoid of life. Current thought holds that, during these early stages, molecules accumulated in early microscopic compartments called protocells [1,2]. Protocells were probably made of lipids, in view of their self-assembling properties and their relatively simple structures. However, where and how early lipids would have formed remains an unanswered question. I will present recent results indicating that primitive lipids – called fatty acids – could have formed by catalytic photo-oxidation of a thin layer of hydrocarbons that would have covered the ocean at that time. These lipids would have stabilized microscopic droplets and provided them with motile behaviour, via Marangoni propulsion. The motile behaviour of water droplets in the oil slick would have had overarching consequences for the emergence of protocells and leading to chemical complexity in System Earth. We seek new answers to open questions in research on the origins of life. We also foresee that our chemistry can find relevance in modern challenges, for example in the remediation of the environment damage caused by polluting oil slicks.

Biosketch:
Since March 2020, Nathalie Katsonis has held a professorship at the Stratingh Institute of Chemistry. Her research group focuses on studying active molecular systems inspired by the behaviors observed in complex, and sometimes competing, biological systems. Her work is internationally acclaimed for its groundbreaking exploration of the fundamental physicochemical mechanisms that drive purposeful movement, a hallmark of life. A major focus of her research is the emergence of primitive cells in the early ocean, a line of inquiry for which she was awarded an NWO Vici grant in February 2024.