The Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art presents “Searching for Signatures of Life in Astrobiology” with Gregory Slater. McMaster University Medical Centre, Ewart Angus wing, Room 1A1. Free.
The field of astrobiology focuses on one of the most profound and enduring questions that science can dare to answer: Does life exist beyond our own small planet? Key to answering this question will be our ability to identify evidence or signatures of life, extant or extinct, on astronomical bodies. But will we know it when we see it? We must begin with life on Earth. By understanding the range and formation of biosignatures on Earth and comparing these to non-biologically created signatures we can start to build our understanding of how to interpret data from other places in our solar system or even from planets around other stars.
Dr. Slater is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences at McMaster. His research deals with the sources and cycling of organic molecules in the environment.
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