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A ������� geologist hopes to shed new light on the evolution of life on our planet, with the help of a prestigious fellowship win.

Dr Hugo Moreira is one of seventy exceptional researchers to be awarded funding through the Royal Society’s flagship early career schemes.

The , and , will allocate over £75m to help tackle major scientific questions and establish the next generation of leading researchers in the UK. 

This year, 33 candidates have been awarded University Research Fellowships across 18 different UK and Irish universities. These grants provide early career researchers with funding of up to £1.83m over eight years. They are designed to provide long-term funding to outstanding researchers who have the potential to become leaders in their scientific fields and benefit from ground-breaking discoveries achieved during the early stages of their careers.

Dr Moreira, from the University’s School of the Environment and Life Sciences, will use his share to pinpoint when plate tectonics started on Earth. The discovery could determine whether this unique characteristic of our planet is the reason why life emerged. 

Dr Moreira said: “It’s human nature to ask difficult philosophical questions, such as why we are here and where we came from. Our planet is the only one we know of with plate tectonics and the ability to sustain life, so it begs the question, do we need one to facilitate the other?”

Using rocks to travel through time

If you tuned in to watch the first episode of Professor Brian Cox’s new BBC series last month, you would have heard him explain how Earth's plate tectonics are believed to be a key factor in life's emergence. 

“The continents, atmosphere and oceans make up the Earth’s surface, while the mantle directly underlies the continents”, explained Dr Moreira. “These outermost and innermost layers are in constant chemical exchange due to plate tectonics. The complex yet beautiful connection of Earth’s components is a constant source of fascination to me.”

Plate tectonics allows heat to move from the mantle to the crust and plays a critical role in cycling nutrients. They're also a key part of the carbon cycle that moderates Earth's temperature.

Dr Moreira said: “It remains unclear when plate tectonics began. This is because the links between Earth’s inner and outer reservoirs remain obscure for the deep geological past. I plan to create a clear timeline, using a state-of-the-art technique pioneered right here in �������.”

During weathering and erosion, mountains are transformed into sediments by interaction with water and the atmosphere. A small but critical amount of sediment is recycled into the mantle via subduction, when ocean crust and its overlying sediments plunge back into the mantle. 

“The interaction between mantle and recycled sediments is then imprinted in magmatic rocks formed in this context”, said Dr Moreira.

“They are time-machines in the sense that they allow investigation of sediment recycling processes in the mantle billions of years ago.”

Earth's ancient ‘breath’

Recently, Dr Moreira and a team of international researchers uncovered an important link between Earth’s early atmosphere and the chemistry of its deep mantle.

They demonstrated that atmosphere-altered sediments were recycled into the mantle across a key period of oxygenation known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), which took place approximately 2500 million years ago. The team studied a sample of magmas from before and after the GOE.

For his latest research, Dr Moreira will investigate tiny minerals from similar rocks and their even-smaller inclusions across a much larger proportion of the geological history; from 3400 million years ago to the present. The outcome will pinpoint when plate tectonics started on our planet and when it was ready to sustain life.

The University is home to the Mass Spectrometry and Laser Ablation Lab, where scientists are able to analyse trace elements and isotope ratios in geological, environmental, and industrial materials. 

Dr Moreira will analyse samples using the lab’s J200 Tandem UV-femtosecond laser ablation (LA) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system. The system was funded by a NERC Capital Equipment award. This is the only place in the UK with this toolkit of equipment.

Professor Craig Storey, Professor of Geology at the �������, co-manages the lab. He said: “We are delighted that our unique laboratory set up will allow Dr Moreira to undertake this highly novel research at �������. This award is testament to the quality of Dr Moreira’s research and achievements and also to the capability of our research group and facilities. We are looking forward to seeing this groundbreaking research grow and prosper at �������.”

Royal Society fellowship

Researchers began taking up their new posts at institutions across the UK and Ireland from October. They will work on research projects spanning the physical, mathematical, chemical, and biological sciences.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of The Royal Society, said: “Long-term funding for early career researchers to pursue novel and exciting scientific questions is vital to attracting talent and ensuring the UK is developing the next generation of word-leading scientists. It is gratifying to see the Society’s schemes supporting such an array of outstanding research and researchers.”

The full list of 2024 Royal Society early career schemes winners is available .