Big questions, bold ideas, and a setting you won’t forget. Zsófia Meggyesi, a CRC PhD student, captured the spirit of the week through her lens — thank you!
Grazie mille, Venice!
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One of the highlights was a thought-provoking panel on the definition of life with Diego Puricelli, who is both a priest and a medical biotechnologist. We discussed: So how should we define life? And how important is it to communicate science before the breakthroughs — not only afterwards.
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The environment with the most votes is 🥁 ... Hydrothermal vents. Now we only have to wait a few more years until science finds out what the right answer is 😅

Following the presentations, we explored the labs and enjoyed a jam session featuring piano, electric, and acoustic guitar.
The weather cleared just in time for a barbecue, providing the perfect end to the day. Thanks to the Richert group for the warm hospitality!
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After a warming lunch, Max von Delius gave a talk titled “Putting Phosphorus-Based Reaction Cycles to Work in Chemically-Driven Molecular Machines.”
This brought back memories of organic chemistry lectures and sparked lively discussions about synthesis strategies.
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The result: a precisely controllable world where synthetic droplets can form, dissolve, and be revived.
👨‍🔬 Yinqing’s favorite part? Testing how the geometry of the tunnels and reaction chamber shapes internal flow.
🔗 Want to dive deeper? Niederholtmeyer Lab: hn-lab.org
#OriginOfLife #Science
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Two gel halves are carefully aligned by hand under a microscope, down to just 10 µm precision. Once the gel layers are perfectly aligned and stacked, tiny holes are punched to insert needles: some feed the reaction chamber, others control the gel vaults.
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How do you build something so tiny and complex? In a cleanroom!
The tunnels are formed using a wafer: a glass mold with microscopic grooves. Since these molds would be destroyed by UV light, the room is lit with yellow light. (New to me: there was a sticky foil at the entrance to trap dust)
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To control fluid flow, the chips include side tunnels filled with water. When pressure is applied, the water lifts a soft gel layer that blocks specific channels, acting like a flexible gel gatekeeper.
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