From Microbes to Mars: How can we use bacteria in the search for life beyond the Earth?

Please note: this free and open to the public lecture is taking place online and is part of the RAS 200 year anniversary celebrations.

Have you ever wondered how life might be able to survive in the extreme conditions that we find on planets and moons beyond the Earth?

Join Rosie Cane from the UK Centre for Astrobiology at The University of Edinburgh, as she introduces the subject of astrobiology and how her PhD research looking at micro-organisms in multiple-extreme environments is not only helping in the search for life on other planetary bodies, but also helping us to understand life on our own planet.

From ‘What is Life’ to ‘Are We Alone in the Universe’, Rosie will address some of the biggest questions out there, covering why we think bacteria are the best bet for potential life on another planet, how they survive extreme environments too hostile for humans to handle and where in the Solar System current research shows potential for finding extant/extinct life. She will also cover science goals from exciting upcoming European Space Agency missions to advance the search for life beyond the Earth, such as ExoMars, the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JuIcE) and Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.

If you’re interested in bacteria, extreme environments and the search for life beyond Earth then please do come along!