TY - GEN A1 - Ragyanszki, Anita A1 - Ji, Hongchen A1 - Fournier, Rene T1 - Understanding the Origins of Life – A Machine learning approach to estimate reaction mechanisms of biotic precursors T2 - SIMPLAIX N2 - Understanding the Origins of Life - A Machine learning approach to estimate reaction mechanisms of biotic precursors. Life as we know it is the result of billions of years of evolution; however, understanding how the very first organisms came into existence is a challenge that has yet to be solved. One theory states that components of these molecules may have formed in the interstellar medium (ISM) and been transported to Earth. The ISM, with its specific conditions, allows for molecular stability and the formation of biotic precursors that would otherwise be unlikely in Earth's prebiotic conditions. Understanding how these molecules formed in the ISM may be the key to determining how life began. The goal of this research is to develop a model for solving astrobiophysical problems by studying the formation mechanisms of biomolecules found in the ISM. Although such pathways have been studied individually, there has not yet been a comprehensive method to understand the complete reactions mechanisms. Several QM methods are available for finding transition states (TS) and energy barriers (E) of chemical reactions but are time-consuming and can hardly be applied to more complex systems. Our interest is to develop a machine learning approach to approximate TS, and E, requiring as input only estimates of geometry and energies of reactants and products. Y1 - 2024 ER -