Blog - Ben K.D. Pearce

Journal Publications (updated Feb 3, 2026) 2025 Madan, I., & Pearce, B. K. D. (2025) Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly: Thermodynamics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Selk Crater on Titan. Planet. Sci. J. 6, 284. OoLEN, Asche, S., Bautista, C., …, Pearce, B. K. D., et al. (2025) What it takes to solve the Origin(s) of Life: An integrated review of techniques. Cell Rep Phys Sci, accepted. Pasc…

LOAR NEWS New PAper Published in Planetary Science Journal on Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly Ishaan’s models on the thermodynamics of amino acid synthesis in Selk crater on Titan show that 21 different amino acids are favorable to be produced in these post-impact ponds; however, only 3 amino acids are favorable in the absence of NH3: proline, alanine, and β-alanine. The NH3-free alani…

A little about me… I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 25 years old. When I was 18, I decided to do an undergrad in software engineering, thinking I’d make a killing in the tech industry. But what I didn’t know about myself at that point, was how mentally unstimulating coding for 8 hours a day would be for me. So, after a couple years working in my early twenties, I moved…

Assistant Professor, Purdue University Who am I? I'm an astrobiologist and Assistant Professor in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) Department at Purdue University. The focus of my lab, the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research (LOAR) is to experimentally and theoretically explore the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on other worlds. I will be hiring …

My Vision for the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research at Purdue - Part III: The Science I wanted to finish off this blog post series by discussing the science that I envision my lab doing, but I felt a bit conflicted about it. Not because I worry about anyone stealing my ideas—I really don’t care about that. It’s more that I don’t want to constrain my lab’s research goals too strictl…

I wanted to finish off this blog post series by discussing the science that I envision my lab doing, but I felt a bit conflicted about it. Not because I worry about anyone stealing my ideas—I really don’t care about that. It’s more that I don’t want to constrain my lab’s research goals too strictly. Scientific exploration requires freedom. Here’s what I mean: Read MoreThere are many different app…

My Vision for the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research at Purdue - Part II: The Scientific Philosophy/Approach There are many different approaches to scientific inquiry and experimentation. None are right or wrong, but your philosophy towards science will ultimately guide your lab’s research path - so it’s worth taking time to think about it. What are some different approaches? Lowest…

My Vision for the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research at Purdue - Part I: the Environment/Culture What makes a research lab great? This is the question I find myself asking as I prepare to open the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research (LOAR) in the fall of 2024. My feeling is that it really comes down to creating an environment in which scientists can thrive. All too ofte…

What I learned being vegan for the last decade It’s been 10 years, and I still get asked about once a month why I chose to become vegan. Clearly people are interested! “Why would anyone be vegan?! Haven’t you heard of cheese?"–they say. Well, here, I summarize my experience into 6 lessons that I’ve learned since I changed my diet. Lesson 1: Becoming vegan made me enjoy cooking In college, I basic…

Another relationship bites the dust - here's what I learned It’s always tempting to think of a relationship ending as a “failure.” But as long as you learned from the experience, it really isn’t a failure at all. How else are we to recognize our person when we meet them if we don’t go through trials with the wrong people? I’ve had quite a few trials. You could say it’s the scientist in me. But in…

Final Days of PhD: A Self-Reflection For the past 6 years, I’ve been a MSc/PhD student in the Physics and Astronomy Department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Next month I’ll defend my thesis, and move to Baltimore, MD to begin working as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. I find that big life transitions like this are good times to reflect. On top of this, my current …

My Experience on the Postdoc Market in Astrobiology/Astrophysics I’m writing this as an autobiography. There may be some advice sprinkled in, but this isn’t an guide on how to successfully snatch a postdoc position. This is just my story, take it as you will. Let’s start at the end of the story, like a Tarantino film. The happy ending: I was lucky enough to get 3 postdoc offers; one of which was …

How you can make your shadow travel faster than light As physicists, we often say “nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.” You may have heard the words "cosmic speed limit" before and perhaps even know the value—approx. 300,000 km/s. So when I say your shadow can travel faster than light, I don't blame you if your skeptic senses are tingling. But humour me, because shadows are one thi…

Who am I? I'm a PhD Candidate in theoretical astrophysics and astrobiology at the Origins Institute at McMaster University in Canada. I build numerical models based on chemical, geophysical, biological, and astrophysical data to try to understand one of the most fundamental mysteries in the cosmos: how did life begin? Research Overview One of the deepest questions intelligent beings can ponder is…

Addressing my unconscious bias I recently took a few online implicit association tests (IATs). These tests were originally developed by researchers at Harvard to explore the roots of unconscious thinking, and were later offered to the public so that individuals can gain more awareness of their unconscious preferences and beliefs. There is an IAT for race, sexuality, weight, age, gender in science…

How we know there is no planet Nibiru, planet X, or any other preconceived planet coming to destroy us Needless to say, the world didn’t end on November 19th, 2017. Nor did it on October 15th, 2017, or between September 20 and 23, 2017: the two previous doomsday predictions made by Christian numerologist and planet Nibiru conspiracy theorist David Meade. So what gives? Is the date that Nibiru wil…

Has anybody, in their entire life, travelled an astronomical unit? Just how far is an astronomical unit (AU)? Such an enormous distance is not easy to comprehend. I could say, well, it’s the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. But nobody can actually travel from the Earth to the Sun to get a feel for that distance (and even a future space explorer would never travel it in a straight line)…

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to attend grad school for physics and astronomy) So you’re planning on attending grad school in physics and astronomy. Maybe you’re flush with confidence and belonging, maybe you’re anxious and worried you’re lacking in some manner, or maybe you’re just “whatevs” about the this whole grad school thing. Whatever your comfort, you should be prepared to experien…

News Articles [28] Purdue astrobiologist reacts to Trump plans to release files on aliens and UFOs. February 20th, 2025. Star City News. Written by Josh Wormann. [27] Curiosity rover makes ‘arguably the most exciting organic detection to date on Mars’. March 29th, 2025. CNN. Written by Ashley Strickland. [26] Dr. Ben K. D. Pearce joins the College of Science Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Scie…

PhD Students Ishaan Madan graduated with a BA in Biochemistry in 2022 from Wheaton College, Massachusetts. He began his PhD in Fall 2024. “I transitioned from a pre-med focus to space sciences and astrobiology, driven by a childhood fascination with space exploration missions and life beyond Earth. Beginning my research career with no prior experience, I gradually advanced to a role on NASA’s Dra…