Chimney-like mineral structures on the seafloor could have helped create the RNA molecules that gave rise to life on Earth, and hold promise as potential catalysts for the emergence of life on distant planets. New research that simulates this process in the laboratory, carried out in the New York Center for Astrobiology by Professor Linda McGown and graduate student Bradley Burcar, has been highlighted in the NASA Astrobiology Institute news page: click here for a link to the full story. Bradley, who was the first recipient of the James Ferris Fellowship in Astrobiology at RPI, completed his PhD in 2015 and is now a postdoc at Georgia Tech.