DECEMBER 14, 2000 THE REBIRTH OF EXOBIOLOGY Dr. Christopher Chyba, SETI Institute and Stanford University http://www.seti.org/general/profiles/chris-c.html The last decade has seen a rebirth of the science of exobiology. After the utter sterility of the moon became clear and the Viking missions failed to find life on Mars, the search for life elsewhere in our solar system came to seem almost moot. However, this has dramatically changed in just the last 10 years. We now know of more planets around other stars than orbit our own sun; we have learned that organic molecules are nearly ubiquitous in the solar system and in the interstellar medium; it now seems likely that Europa has a liquid water ocean; we will return to Mars with two missions every launch opportunity; we have learned much more about Earth's deep biosphere, which is a model for subsurface life on Europa or Mars, and there has been substantial progress in origins of life research. In the next 2 to 3 decades each of these fields will provide spectacular new results. Dr. Chyba will explain why, in stark contrast to how the field seemed 20 years ago, it is now hard to see how any plausible set of negative results could prevent biology from staying central to planetary exploration in the next several decades. Dr. Chyba holds the Carl Sagan Chair for the Study of Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute in Mountain View. He is also Associate Professor (Research) in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. http://www4.nas.edu/opus/home.nsf/web/cchyba?OpenDocument http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v30n3/dps98/489.htm http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Frontiers26Feb-2000.html http://www.researchchannel.com/ondemand/nas/Leaders.html#8 http://www2.hmc.edu/www_common/biology/liu/Speakers/chyba.html == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
