15 Oct 04 GSAustralia free public lectures: 'Are we alone? -
Earliest life on Earth, life on Mars and the search for the
extra-terrestrial life' - Dr Charley Lineweaver, Planetary Science
Institute, Australian National University and Professor Malcolm Walter,
Director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology. Dates: Adelaide 14
Oct, Perth 18 Oct, Sydney 20 Oct (Australian Museum, 6pm), Canberra 26
Oct, Brisbane 27 Oct
Spectacular
scientific advances have helped us discover over 100
extra-solar planets that
could
be 'home' to alien life-forms. At the
same time, our exploration of the universe has taught us a huge
amount, suggesting that Mars may have been inhabited, and could still
be! If we can find traces of life and show that it arose
independently from life on Earth, then we will be able to predict
with confidence that life elsewhere in the Universe is possible. Two
outstanding authorities on early life and the solar system present an
up-to-date review of this challenging topic at the leading edge of
modern scientific investigations.