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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

With a planet teaming with life all around us, it is tempting to think that any life on other worlds must be like Earth life. But is that true, and if it is not, what limits can we place on where we might look for life on other worlds? Starting from the still-controversial possibility of the presence of phosphine in the clouds of Venus, I will discuss what we know (not much) can model (some) and speculate about how the chemistry of life might work on other worlds under conditions very different from Earth. In particular, different atmospheres give different chemistries, possibly chemistries that use solvents other than water as their base. Alternative solvents open up the possibility of life on many bodies previously considered uninhabitable, such as the clouds of Venus, the surface of Mars, even the Moon. I will end with some thoughts on complex, even intelligent, life and where we might find it.

Further information

Time:

18Feb
Feb 18th 2025
11:00 to 12:00

Venue:

Chemistry Dept, Unilever Lecture Theatre and Zoom

Speaker:

William Bains

Series:

Centre for Atmospheric Science seminars, Chemistry Dept.