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DTSTAMP:20260501T200632Z
UID:5004045119fe6@ist.ac.at
DTSTART:20141117T163000
DTEND:20141117T173000
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Pascale Ehrenfreund\nAbstract: Astronomical observatio
 ns have shown that carbonaceous compounds in the gas and solid state\, ref
 ractory and icy are ubiquitous in our and distant galaxies. Interstellar m
 olecular clouds and circumstellar envelopes are factories of complex molec
 ular synthesis. Also a surprisingly large number of molecules that are use
 d in contemporary biochemistry on Earth are found in our solar system envi
 ronment. Small solar system bodies hold clues to processes that formed our
  solar system and probably contributed most of the carbonaceous compounds 
 during the heavy bombardment phase ~3.9 billion years ago to the young pla
 nets\, a process which may have jump-started life’s origin on Earth. A la
 rge amount of organic molecules has been identified in cometary comae and 
 the presence of organic material in asteroids is inferred from reflectance
  spectra. Laboratory measurements of the carbon fraction of carbonaceous m
 eteorites revealed extraterrestrial organic compounds including amino acid
 s\, N-heterocycles\, carboxylic acids as well as aliphatic and aromatic hy
 drocarbons. In-depth understanding of the organic reservoir in different s
 pace environments as well as data on the stability of organic and prebioti
 c material in solar system environments are vital to assess and quantify t
 he extraterrestrial contribution of prebiotic sources available to the you
 ng Earth. Apart from life’s origin on Earth the interdisciplinary science
  discipline Astrobiology investigates the search for life in our solar sys
 tem and beyond. A fleet of robotic space missions target planets\, moons a
 nd small bodies to reveal clues on the origin of our solar system and life
  beyond Earth. Extensive science activities in support of Mars exploration
  are performed worldwide in the laboratory\, in the field and through simu
 lation studies. This lecture will compile our current understanding concer
 ning the origin of life on Earth\, the possibility of life elsewhere\, and
  highlight current and future space endeavors pursuing astrobiological goa
 ls.
LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, Central Building\, ISTA
ORGANIZER:ihetzenauer@ist.ac.at
SUMMARY:Pascale Ehrenfreund: Institute Colloquium: Cosmic carbon chemistry 
 and the search for life in the universe
URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/527
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