New findings contradict previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth.

Scientists have taken a journey back in time to unlock the mysteries of Earth’s early history, using tiny mineral crystals called zircons to study plate tectonics billions of years ago. The research sheds light on the conditions that existed in early Earth, revealing a complex interplay between Earth’s crust, core, and the emergence of life.

Plate tectonics allows heat from Earth’s interior to escape to the surface, forming continents and other geological features necessary for life to emerge. Accordingly, “there has been the assumption that plate tectonics is necessary for life,” says John Tarduno, who teaches in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rochester. But new research casts doubt on that assumption.

Tarduno, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor, is lead author of a paper published in Nature examining plate tectonics from 3.9 billion years ago, when scientists believe the first traces of life appeared on Earth. The researchers found that mobile plate tectonics was not occurring during this time. Instead, they discovered, Earth was releasing heat through what is known as a stagnant lid regime. The results indicate that although plate tectonics is a key factor for sustaining life on Earth, it is not a requirement for life to originate on a terrestrial-like planet.

He says, “Our data suggests that when we’re looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics.”

The work was an “unexpected detour” for the research team. 

(Unsplash photo by Warren)

New findings are a step toward identifying a possible target for treating neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism in young adulthood.

The brain continuously changes during childhood and throughout adolescence. The onset of neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia often begins during young adulthood. Dysfunction of the dopamine system—necessary for cognitive processing and decision-making—begins during this point in development.

“Brain development is a lengthy process, and many neuronal systems have critical windows—key times when brain areas are malleable and undergoing final maturation steps,” says Rianne Stowell, a postdoctoral fellow in the Wang Lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center and co-first author of the new study in the journal eLife.

“By identifying these windows, we can target interventions to these time periods and possibly change the course of a disease by rescuing the structural and behavioral deficits caused by these disorders.”

Learn more about the dopamine system.

Thursday, June 15, noon–12:45 p.m., 2 p.m.–2:45 p.m., and 4 p.m.–4:45 p.m. EDT
Virtual

Learn how to conduct research and support clinical trials utilizing real-world data in a training seminar series hosted by TriNetX, a global network of health care organizations and life sciences companies driving real-world research. The seminar will provide guided training and strategies to understand how ICD-9 and ICD-10 mapping affects rare diseases and how to leverage clinical facts available on the TriNetX platform to design rare disease patient populations. Choose a timeslot and register.

Friday, June 16, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.
Wegmans Hall, Room 3201

“Improving Natural Language Processing: From Adding Graph Structure to Distributed Learning”

Advisor: Daniel Gildea

Friday, June 16, 2 p.m.–2:40 p.m.
LeChase Hall, Room 215

“How K–12 Teachers Make Sense of Differentiating Instruction and Technology Integration through a Unique Tech-PD Approach”

Sponsor: Jayne Lammers
Independent Chair: Tiffany Steele

Apply by July 24

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute will have two human subject research coordinator trainees available to work in two departments starting July 31. Research faculty and staff can apply for temporary part-time (0.5 FTE) coordinator support and will be notified by July 28. Learn more.