Welcome to the Origins Institute!

The Origins Institute focuses on some of the most-interesting and most important questions in science: how did the universe begin? how did elements form? how did stars, galaxies and planets form? how did life emerge on Earth, and has it also emerged on other planets? what processes account for the diversity and disparity among organisms? how does bioelectrical activity give rise to perception, cognition, and consciousness? These questions are multifaceted, and a transdisciplinary approach is required to address them.

The Origins Institute at McMaster University commenced operations July 1, 2004 (note the comment at this article in Science). The first Director is Ralph Pudritz (from the Department of Physics and Astronomy) and the first Associate Director is Jonathon Stone (from the Department of Biology). Current membership includes faculty members at McMaster University - from the Departments of Anthropology, Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, Biology, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics & Astronomy, and Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour, and the School of Geography and Earth Sciences; councilors at Cambridge University, the Santa Fe Institute, and TRIUMF; and fellows at the University of Toronto and Perimeter Institute.