La Jolla, California—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been providing $1 million a year for an unusual center focused on studies of the origins of life. It consists of five principal investigators at four separate institutions in the San Diego area. The researchers often disagree with each other, but they are cooperating on a wide range of projects. The aim of the center is to build up an intellectual base—especially by encouraging interaction among graduate students—in a field that has few researchers and little funding.Xs