xploring the Originsof the Earth and Lifeessagefrom the President
Kazuya Masu

Kei Hirose

President
Tokyo Institute of Technology

DirectorEarth-Life Science InstituteTokyo Institute of Technology

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) waslaunched in 2012 with generous support
from the World Premier Inter national
Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT*. In
just a few years, ELSI has grown into a fully
formed and mature institution. We at Tokyo
Tech are proud of the accomplishments ofELSI, which include a highly successful
recruiting strategy, the establishment of a
global collaborative network of world-leading
scholars, and a genuinely international
environment that welcomes researchers fromall over the world. ELSI is intended to be arole model for the university as a whole, andforms a key part of my vision for Tokyo Tech
to become a top global university.
Diversity is one of the key factors in making
new discoveries, tackling new fields of study,

and surmounting challenges in research.
ELSI is leading Tokyo Tech with its diversity
in members that address a wide range ofresearch topics.
ELSI is now established as a permanent
independent institute, and operates directly
under the Tokyo Tech president. ELSI’s
scientific leadership has been rewarded withboth a large amount and a variety of foreignand domestic funding. ELSI’s future is brightand it will continue to grow and enhance its
vigorous research activities long after theinitial WPI grant period expires.
Seeing how far ELSI has come in theseyears, I am excited by our shared future.
Let's continue to rise together.

About WPIELSI is continuing to expand its global network and research is conducted under close coordination with
5 satellite institutions at home and abroad. Many papers have been published as a result of international
research cooperation.
North AmericaAsia

USAJapanSatellite Centers● Geodynamics Research Center (GRC),Ehime University● Department of Earth and Planetary Science,Africa
South America
Australia

Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo● Interdisciplinary Program,

Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton● Origin of Life Initiative, Harvard University
The figure indicates the level of interactions between other institutionsin the world and ELSI based on the number of joint publications.

As a World Premier International Research
C e n t e r ( W P I C e n t e r ) b a s e d a t To k y oInstitute of Technology, our mission is tofacilitate breakthroughs at the frontiero f s c i e n c e by attracting and interactingwith the best minds from around the world, topromote interdisciplinary research in Origins*MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Global Research Network

EuropeHow did the Earth form and what was theearly Earth like, how did life emerge andevolve in its early environment, and what
does the answer imply for the possibilityof life elsewhere in the universe? TheEarth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is aone-of-a-kind, internationally recognized,
world-class research institute establishedin 2012 to address these questions.

● Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory,

Columbia University

The World Premier International Research Center
Initiative (WPI) was inaugurated in 2007 by the Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
with a mission of establishing “globally visible researchcenters” within Japan, where researchers on thefrontline of science gather from all over the world. WPI
centers are required to fulfill the following criteria of“advancing cutting-edge research,” “creatinginterdisciplinary domains,” “establishing international
research environments,” and “reforming researchorganizations.” ELSI was selected to be a member
institution of this prestigious initiative in 2012.

of Earth and Life Science, and to play aleading role in implementing and promoting
administrative innovation and organizational
excellence among universities in Japan.
ELSI has cultivated a multidisciplinaryinternational community of researchers,
integrating disciplines to study the Origins ofLife within the context of the Origin of theEarth and other planets. ELSI hosts dozensof short- and long-term visitors to develop
innovative ideas. We are committed toscience education and also sharing ourresearch with the general public. All are
welcome to visit ELSI and join our quest tounderstand the origins of Earth and the life itsupports.

ELSI: Unraveling the Wondersof the Earth and LifeA

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) raises the following four questions as part ofits mission to investigate the origin of the Earth and life.

The Formation of Planet EarthWhy is there water on Earth?
What was the Earth’s first atmosphere comprised of?
● Reestablishing the first-principles theory of planet formation (planetary physics)● Defining the composition of the Earth’s primitive crust, mantle, and core(high pressure experiment)● Recreating hydrothermal environments in the Hadean eon to observechemical energy (hydrothermal experiment)

B

Early Earth-Life System
When, where, and how did life form?
What were the Earth’s first ecosystems like?

● Estimating genomic information of primitiveecosystems (database, sampling)C

Evolution of Life on Earth
How did changes in the solid Earth andthe galaxy affect the evolution of life?
Why is there oxygen in the atmosphere?

D

Life in the Universe
Is the Earth a special planet in the universe for harboring life?
Or is it a universal phenomenon? How do we find extraterrestrial life?

● Methods of searching for other living planets andcelestial bodies (exploration technology, spectroscopy)(A) How was the Earth formed in our Solar System? (the formation of planet Earth)(B) When, where, and how did the Earth-Life system come into existence?
(early Earth-Life system)(C) How did life on Earth evolve? (evolution of life on Earth)(D) Through our research on early Earth-Life systems and unraveling the secrets ofthis planet’s ability to support life, we aim to suggest new search criteria for lifeon extrasolar planets and moons in order to establish a field of study called“bioplanetology.” (life in the universe)
Life exists on Earth because of its unique environment. Our institute would first (A)determine the structure of the Earth, (B) identify the kind of life that first appeared
and when its birth took place, and (C) investigate how those early life forms
evolved, through multiple perspectives and procedures. Then, by applying ourdiscoveries on genetic information of primitive life forms, we aim to further explore(D) “whether life would arise in environments entirely different from Earth.”

International Research Hub for the Origin of Earth and Life
About half of the researchers at ELSI are foreign nationals, and approximately two-thirds of applications are fromabroad when we recruit new researchers; hence, our institute is home to various projects in an international
environment. We also welcome many visiting researchers from across the world and will continue to pursue
building a research hub without borders, fulfilling our role as an international hub for researching the origin of Earthand life.

Research Facilities
High Resolution Isotope RatioMass Spectrometer(Thermo Scientific™ 253 Ultra™)

Molecular information
regarding a molecule’s
origin is contained in
the stable isotopes of
its bioelements, whichranges from hydrogento sulfur. This device
enables themeasurement ofmolecules that consistof multiple heavy
isotopes and is applied to create new indicators for the study ofearly Earth, as well as extraterrestrial environments andbiological activities.

Diamond Anvil Cell
Comprised of natural diamonds, thediamond anvil cell is a device thatgenerates ultra-high pressures. It
reenacts the conditions of theEarth’s interior inside the laboratory
through laser irradiation, creating an
ultra-high pressure, ultra-hightemperature environment; helping
us elucidate the origin and evolutionof the Earth’s core and mantle fromthe early Earth to the present.

● Galactic events and the Earth’s
history (numerical simulation)● Unraveling the chemical evolution in the Earth’s primitive crust:from low molecules to amino acids, peptide, and RNA synthesis(re-designed experiment)● Understanding the progressive increase in
seawater content and why it is occurring(Archean ocean crust samples,isotope geochemistry)● Early atmospheric composition and pressure, and theirchanges (photochemical isotope effect)● Methods for differentiating biotic/abiotic molecules(isotopomer approach)● Creating photosynthetic bacteria(molecular biological experiment)

Approaches in Fostering Multidisciplinary Research
Exchanges between researchers of different
fields of study are essential in order torealize ELSI’s mission, which is to understandthe origin of the Earth and life. Hence, ourinstitute takes a multi-layered approach tointroduce various opportunities for socialexchange.
For instance, we provide opportunities toshare new knowledge and hold discussions
among researchers of different disciplines
through our frequent intramural seminars.
Our daily 3PM coffee break is also a special
moment for researchers to chat and exchange
ideas in a relaxed environment.

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer(LC-MS)An Efficient Environment for Research

ELSI-1, completed in 2015

For the purpose of building a well-equippedenvironment worthy of a WPI member
institution, our new research laboratorybuilding (ELSI-1) was completed in 2015 inaddition to ELSI-2, which is housed inside
an existent university building. ELSI-1 isequipped with laboratories, seminar rooms,
an entire floor designated for experiments, acommunity lounge named the “Agora”, aninformation center (ELSI Gallery), and alecture hall with a seating capacity of over
100 (Mishima Hall). Various research projects
are efficiently conducted in these twoneighboring facilities.

Although molecules that areproduced as a result ofexperiments cannot be seen with
the naked eye, the mass
spectrometer enables us tomeasure molecular mass, which isone of the characteristics ofmolecules. Through theapplication of LC-MS, we canmeasure molecular mass as thedevice separates the mixtures ofmolecules.

Various ELSI Activities
As the world’s first research institute themed around theorigin of Earth and life, ELSI manages various activities
for discussing and publicizing research achievements. In
addition to an annual international symposium whereresearchers attend from all over the world, ELSI hostsa range of workshops targeted to researchers, as well assummer schools and winter schools for students
in related fields of study. Furthermore, our instituteholds lectures that are open to the general public andpublicizes information through newsletters and thewebsite as part of our outreach activities, for the purposeof familiarizing the public with research conducted byELSI.

Cray XC30™
SupercomputerThis supercomputer is an XC30
from Cray with about 1000 Intel
Xeon CPU cores. It is used toinvestigate a variety of research
topics such as the formation ofplanets, moons, stars and galaxies;
convection in planetary mantles;
and first-principles simulations ofdeep earth materials.

About the ELSI Logo
Designed by art director Ms. Naoko Fukuoka,
the ELSI logo is versatile in its symbolism: theglobes simultaneously represent a moon-forming
giant impact, cell division, and planetary orbits.
The lines branching out within the larger spherecreate a phylogenetic tree that stands for theorigin and evolution of life and, returning to themetaphor of planets, also symbolizes the origin
and evolution of the Earth itself. In this manner, thelogo embodies multiple fields of research at ELSI.
Behind the letters of ELSI, semi-transparent
infinity symbols are depicted. They signify both theinfinite potential of ELSI's future research and theinfinite knowledge awaiting discovery there.

Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI)Tokyo Institute of Technology
2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo,152-8550, JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-5734-3414
Fax: +81-3-5734-3416
E-mail: information@elsi.jp

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Ookayama South Area

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