The Earth, the Solar System, and Beyond Of all the questions scientists might ask about life, none is more basic or challenging than how life emerges in the first place. Modern research suggests that life results from planetary processes, but there are still many unknowns. Which processes were critical to the beginning of life? What environments support these processes? Recent advances in the understanding of planets and moons in our solar system and the discovery of extrasolar planets may lead to research and space missions that help answer these questions. This symposium will convene leading biologists, chemists, and planetary scientists to explore pathbreaking information about planetary processes and the possibility that the origin of life is grounded in them.
Experience the conference on-line. Streaming videos are now available:
Welcome and "Prebiotic Chemistry in Space: Setting the Stage for the Evolution of Life”
Video (57 minutes)
“Minerals, Radicals, Prebiotic Chemistry, and the Emergence of Oxygenic Photosynthesis”
Video (41 minutes)
“Physical and Chemical Models for the Origin of Biological Homochirality”
Video (46 minutes)
“Directed, Continuous, and Self-Sustained Evolution of RNA Enzymes”
Video (38 minutes)
“Evolution of Atmospheres on Habitable Planets”
Video (51 minutes)
“The Sedimentary Cycle of Mars and Its Astrobiological Implications”
Video (46 minutes)
“Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Habitable Worlds”
Video (39 minutes)
Closing Remarks
Video (10 minutes)
