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The 5th Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life (NoR CEL) meeting

To drill down to the core of the question of the emergence and evolution of Life requires a truly interdisciplinary approach, in addition to physics and chemistry we also need to deploy an array of other sciences. There is a reliance on astrobiology, however part of the answer may lay with scientists who are not necessarily involved in this field, for example, those working on medical virology, cancer research, plant and animal husbandry genetics, space exploration (biosensors), palaeontology—as well as those coming from mathematical or philosophical perspectives. Once we have established some sort of clear and deeper understanding of how life emerged on Earth, we can focus our efforts on improving the possibility of detecting life elsewhere in the Universe. Currently, both space and terrestrial-based telescopes (eg the James Webb Space Telescope and Square Kilometre Array, respectively), as well as nanotechnologies, as in CubeSats, for the exploration of the Cosmos are being developed and hopefully we should soon be able detect any biosignatures of life beyond our Solar System and even to the furthest reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy. The 5th NoR- CEL conference will continue to provide the opportunity to collectively pool knowledge via its diverse array of input, debate and interaction. The aim being to offer both specialist origin of life scientists and those who are not necessarily practitioners in the same quest a relaxed and unhurried environment, with the object of nurturing and energising them to seek answers to the ultimate questions of life, the Universe and everything. We invite scientists of all ilks and persuasions to join us in the search for the origin of life.

Website: http://www.nor-cel.com

Location: 2020 University of St Andrews, Scotland, GB