Could life emerge on planets other than Earth? If so, where should we look, and more importantly, how should we look for traces of life in space?
These are the questions that astrobiologists are trying to answer. One of the main targets for current space missions seeking traces of life is our closest neighbour, Mars. Despite its surface being hostile to life as we know it, the Red Planet, like Earth, might have been a place where life was possible in the past.
In this month’s talk, Dr Naila Chaouche from the Otago University Department of Chemistry will explore Mars as an object of interest for scientists who study the origins of life on Earth and beyond. Learn how to look for life using rovers and instrumentation specifically designed for space application. The role laboratory experimentation plays in supporting space missions in the search for extra-terrestrial life will also be discussed.
Details: Free, 5.30 pm start at Ombrellos Kitchen and Bar, 10 Clarendon Street, Dunedin
For more information: https://otagomuseum.nz/whats-on/thirst-for-knowledge-is-there-life-on-mars
Related content
Read about the first Mars landing, Curiosity rover lands on Mars and Updates from Mars. For more updates on this mission see, The Curiosity rover.
Try one of these citizen science projects that use robots to help discover more about the planet Mars:
- The Planet Four project wants help from citizen scientists to help explore the surface and weather of the Mars south polar region.
- Use the AI4Mars project to help scientists train Mars rovers how to classify Martian terrain.
Activity idea
Try out this activity, Is anything out there, with your students to look at whether there is evidence for life on other planets outside our Solar System.
