Life and the Cosmos

Life in the Cosmos
Workshop

5-6 September 2012

Hosted by the Smithsonian Institution

at the Ripley Center, Smithsonian Mall

Washington DC

Life in the Cosmos will probe the multi-disciplinary science need to understand how, where and why life exists in the Universe: from the astrophysics describing the processes giving rise to stars and planets and their environments, the geology, geophysics and atmospheric physics of planets, to the chemistry and biology of organic matter and evolution of living organisms. Often studied in relative isolation, Life in the Cosmos aims to bring together scientists in these different fields to germinate new ideas and directions of study. Four main themes will be covered: - Planets, habitability and the Drake Equation - Fundamentals, origins and initial conditions - Life on Earth through time - Clues to life on other worlds from life on Earth

Registration and meeting attendance are free of charge. Interested parties can register here or contact the SOC chair, Jeremy Drake, for further details.