Life in the Universe

As it stands today, life on Earth is the only example we know. Our speaker will outline

the history of life on Earth and comment on whether or not it's reasonable to expect

from what we know of Earthly life that similar simple (single-celled) or complex

(multi-cellular) life is likely exist elsewhere.

Until recently the existence or absence of extraterrestrial life was a matter of

speculation, but seeking evidence of it is now one of the most active and obsessive

pursuits in contemporary astronomy. Within a few decades we will have explored

potential sites for past or present life in the solar system and characterised Earth-like

planets around other stars in the solar neighborhood, and we will be able to assess

whether or not simple microbial life is common or unusual in the galaxy.

Searches are also underway for signals broadcast by possible advanced civilisations

elsewhere in our galaxy. I will summarise the motivations, the techniques used, and

the prospects for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

The future discovery of life, especially intelligent life, elsewhere in the Universe is

often presented as something that would have profound cultural implications and

that it would change utterly our conception of the Universe and our place in it.

We will also comment on whether or not such predictions are justified.

Our speaker: Professor Matt Griffin is a member of the Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics

Research and Technology (CHART). He studied Electrical Engineering at University

College Dublin and Astrophysics at Queen Mary College London, receiving his PhD

in 1985. His research work has included the development of many instruments for

both ground-based and space-borne observatories, and their use in the study of

planetary atmospheres, star formation, and galaxy evolution. He was the Principal

Investigator for the SPIRE instrument on board ESA's Herschel Space Observatory.

Currently he is UK Co-PI in the international consortium building the scientific

payload for ESA’s Ariel mission to characterise the atmospheres of exoplanets,

and a member of the team developing the PRobe Infrared Mission for Astrophysics

(PRIMA) as a future NASA far infrared space observatory.

This meeting is also available online via Zoom

Mexborough Church Hall