@SETI Talks: Professor Kathleen Campbell
“ET life would simply be … logical…”
Modelling Biospheric Energization
How do we define life – or, in fact, can it be defined? So far, we cannot be sure that this question has been properly answered. Even so, NASA has proposed that life be taken as a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution. If we have a mind for science, we might then ask – is this consistent with basic principles? The life chemistry we find on Earth should accord with this, but as one particular case. This point of view can then allow us to seek for life in other places –“space” – say, but on the basis of rational enquiry.
What is Astrobiology?
Astrobiology, is the study of life’s potential in the Universe. It also studies the origin, evolution and history of life on Earth. Astrobiology is a topical subject, innovative and interdisciplinary.
Astrobiology unites physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, molecular biology, ecology, planetary science, geography, and geology to study “anything and everything about life on Earth in order to understand how life might arise and survive elsewhere in the Universe”.
We live in the future
It is for the first time in our history when we, humankind, can effectively act to ensure our survival as species and protect our planet. In the same time, the advent of technology and, in recent times, accessibility to information, increased the speed at which changes occur in our society and environment. Global emerging risks shape now the face of Earth in unprecedented ways. The situational awareness we aspire to in such case can only be achieved through scientific education, essential to understand the key questions: ‘What is life?’, but most importantly ‘What is life worth to us?’
Astrobiology, is the study of life’s potential in the Universe. It also studies the origin, evolution and history of life on Earth. Astrobiology is a topical subject, innovative and interdisciplinary.