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Author: NZAN Media Team

A first encounter with SOFIA

I cannot perceive the scale of the universe, but I can perceive the scale of a jumbo jet as I stand beneath it. I’m on the tarmac, surrounded by fuel trucks, wearing a high-vis vest and Aviation Security Service identification tag that says “escort required”. I want to touch something, perhaps a wheel, but I don’t think I should.

Marcelo Gleiser

New Zealand has all it needs to become a leading centre for astrobiology research: good universities, excellent scientists, an interest from younger students and, last but not least, spectacular natural resources that can be used as laboratories for investigating the extreme conditions prevalent in early Earth and, possibly, elsewhere in this solar system and others. It was a pleasure to be part of this initiative, hopefully the gateway for much more to come.

Comets or aliens may explain odd flicker of starlight

Scientists look for pattern recognition when exploring how the natural world or universe work. Something looks to be astray in KIC 8462852 one of 150,000 stars watched by the Kepler space telescope, which is giving off an odd flickering light. It may be a string of comets. Some think perhaps alien megastructures are at work. Or maybe it is a new natural pattern that we simply haven’t seen before.

Life on the Edge: A Journey of Discovery in Earth Science – Inaugural Lecture by Professor Kathy Campbell

Rocks and minerals are vital for unlocking the mysteries of life’s origin and for guiding the search for life on other worlds. ‘Extreme environments’, places too hot, cold, dry, salty, noxious or otherwise inhospitable to most things alive on our planet today are studied to help deepen understanding of where we came from and whether we are alone in the Universe. This talk explores life’s limits and its record in the rocks. It will also delve into one of the most exciting aspects of being a scientist, the art and wonder of scientific discovery, based on my own exploration of extreme environments on land and in the sea.

Anthropocene. What’s in the future for Earth’s creatures?

An interview with Professor Kathleen Campbell – University of Auckland, about a recent study undertaken around Chernobyl, which highlighted a surprisingly ‘normal’ resuming of (wild) life in the area after the nuclear catastrophe in the 80’s. Find out more from the NZ Herald, click here.

NASA to announce major Martian mystery solved: liquid water flows on Mars

For the last two days the scientific world is bubbling at the announcement of NASA that something of a major importance has been solved on Mars. NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today’s Mars Hear what Professor Kathleen Campbell from University of Auckland commented on this: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-mars-mystery-solved

New book on ‘Astrobiology: Understanding Life in the Universe’

Astrobiology: Understanding Life in the Universe is an introductory text which explores the structure of living things, the formation of the elements for life in the Universe, the biological and geological history of the Earth and the habitability of other planets in our own Solar System and beyond. The book is designed to convey some of the major conceptual foundations in astrobiology that cut across a diversity of traditional fields including chemistry, biology, geosciences, physics and astronomy. It can be used to complement existing courses in these fields or as a stand–alone text for astrobiology courses.