How did life arise on Earth? This fundamental question has driven my scientific curiosity and remains at the heart of my research. It has led me to explore key issues: how stable were primordial proteins? Were the early oceans thermophilic? How did the basic molecules of life emerge and evolve to enable the self-organization of the first cells? And, crucially: how does the Central Dogma work—how does the flow of information from DNA to RNA and to proteins shape the complexity of life?

My interdisciplinary background—spanning chemistry, biophysics and biology—has enabled me to address these questions and contribute to understanding the fundamental principles underlying the origin and evolution of cellular life. I believe that modern proteins hold the key to answering these mysteries. Their sequences, structures and functions encode a rich evolutionary history. Using tools such as ancestral protein reconstruction and in vitro evolution, we can decode this history, infer ancient protein sequences and reconstruct their functions. By linking prebiotic chemistry with modern biology, my research aims to shed light on how life emerged from abiotic reactions and evolved into the complex systems we observe today.

Learn more at romeroromerolab.org