Aug 04 2026 to Aug 04 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

How did life originate on Earth?

A forgotten experiment from the 1960s paved the way for cutting-edge research into the origin of life, and this talk explores the link. Vidyanand Nanjundiah, honorary professor at the Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru, and Shashi Thutupalli, associate professor at the Centre for Living Machines, NCBS-TIFR, are in conversation with journalist Indulekha Aravind.

Nanjundiah opens with the major hypotheses on the origin of life and their limitations. Thutupalli then shares his own findings, built on a simple experiment tracing back to the jeewanu (“particles of life”) work of Krishna Bahadur and S. Ranganayaki — a scientist couple at the University of Allahabad whose research had long been forgotten. Then, joined by Aravind, they discuss implications of this discovery and the future of the field.

Venue: Seminar Halls
Speakers

Vidyanand Nanjundiah
Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru
Professor Vidyanand Nanjundiah obtained his PhD (1972) from the University of Chicago. He was an Assistant Professor and Professor at the Centre for Theoretical Studies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He has been a member of the Molecular Biology Unit, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay; Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics and Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore. At present, he is an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru.

Shashi Thutupalli
Centre for Living Machines, NCBS-TIFR & ICTS-TIFR
Dr. Shashi Thutupalli earned his Ph.D. in Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Germany. He later joined Princeton University as an HFSP Cross Disciplinary Fellow. He is currently an associate professor at Centre for Living Machines, NCBS-TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and ICTS-TIFR (International Centre for Theoretical Sciences). Shashi has been at the the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR Bangalore since 2016, where he heads an interdisciplinary group looking at the origins and organizations of living systems.

Indulekha Aravind
Independent Journalist
Indulekha Aravind is an independent journalist specialising in deeply reported features. Her work has been published in The Economist, Rest of World, The Hindu, Newslaundry and The News Minute, among others. Previously, she was Senior Assistant Editor with The Economic Times. She is the recipient of multiple awards and fellowships, including the Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship.