Public Lecture: "Are we alone?"

The public lecture will be given by Monica Grady at Our Dynamic Earth after the first day of the workshop.

Time:18:30 BST, 8 October 2008
Location:Our Dynamic Earth
Tickets:£3.00. Available from hubtickets, or with workshop registration.

The question of whether we are alone in the Solar System, Galaxy or Universe is one which has fascinated humanity since the earliest of times. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. The search for life beyond the Earth starts with a look at how and where life arose on Earth, and the type of conditions in which life survives. Where might similar environments exist on other bodies, either now or in the past?

From the deepest depths of the ocean floor to the outermost edges of the Galaxy, Monica Grady explores the potential for life to have arisen in a variety of environmental habitats. Starting with the birth of the Sun from a cloud of dust and gas, through the formation of the Earth, its atmosphere and oceans, she highlights key stages that lead to the emergence of life on Earth. Mars, Europa, the water-rich satellite of Jupiter, and Saturn's enigmatic moon Titan are all described as possible niches in which life might have arisen. Beyond the Solar System, the search for extra-solar planets is considered as a future direction for fruitful exploration.

Monica will also be giving a plenary lecture titled "Opportunities for Life" at the workshop.

Monica Grady photo

Since April 2005, Monica Grady has been Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University in Milton Keynes. Prior to that, she was Head of the Meteorites and Cosmic Mineralogy Division in the Department of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum, and Honorary Professor of Meteoritics at University College London. In 2003, she gave the Royal Institution Christmas lectures on the theme Voyage in Space and Time.

Dynamic Earth logo

Our Dynamic Earth is located about 3 miles from the ROE near Holyrood.

Our Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Rd
Edinburgh
EH8 8AS
Tel: 0131 550 7800

Here is a google map showing Dynamic Earth relative to the ROE.