Special Seminars Seminars

Widespread Mixing and Burial of Earth’s Hadean Crust by Asteroid Impacts

In this talk, Marchi will present a new bombardment model of the Hadean Earth that has been calibrated using existing lunar data and terrestrial highly siderophile elements. He has found that the surface of the Hadean Earth was widely reprocessed by impacts through mixing and burial by impact-generated melt. This model may explain the absence of early terrestrial rocks. Furthermore, he will discuss an intriguing correlation between the age distribution of Hadean zircons and the impact flux, possibly indicating impacts played an important role in Hadean zircon formation. In addition, by tracking the magnitude and timing of early collisions, he concludes that existing oceans would have repeatedly boiled away into steam atmospheres as a result of large collisions as late as about four billion years ago. Finally, he will discuss recent developments in understanding impact-induced effects on the tectonic evolution of the early Earth with implications on the faint young Sun paradox.

Life in the Universe - the Science of Astrobiology

Is life common in the universe, or rare? Humans have pondered this question for millennia. In this Astronomy Talk, Dr. Carl Pilcher, Interim Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, will help us study the four billion-year evolution of life and our planet to consider how habitable environments and life itself might arise elsewhere in the Universe.

NASA Astrobiology Debates: Eastern Championship Live Webcast

*Watch the championship debates live right here at 1:30PM Eastern time on March 6th, 2016!* For more information about this event, and other future NASA Astrobiology Debates, visit the "NASA Astrobiology Debates":http://www.nasadebates.org/ website. Please email any questions or inquiries to "NASADebates@gmail.com":mailto:NASADebates@gmail.com. This webcast is sponsored by "SAGANet.org":http://saganet.org, the social network for all things astrobiology. Watch the "livestream":http://saganet.org/page/saganlive on SAGANet.org and join the live chat! *What are the NASA Astrobiology Debates?* Organized by the NASA Astrobiology Program and The George Washington University, the "NASA Astrobiology Debates":http://www.nasadebates.org challenge students of all ages to research and debate the complex ethical and political questions raised by the 2015-16 NASA Astrobiology Debates topic, "Resolved: An overriding ethical obligation to protect and preserve extraterrestrial microbial life and ecosystems should be incorporated into international law." The discovery of extraterrestrial microbial life would change the nature and meaning of life itself. The NASA Astrobiology Debates seek to engage present and future leaders in dialogue on the implications of such a discovery. During the 2015-16 school year, students will compete in online speech competitions, public debates, and tournament competitions judged by a cross-section of thought-leaders. In addition, students will conduct interviews with topic experts drawn from across the disciplines and the videos of the interviews will be posted to this website to create a permanent online resource for research into astrobiology and its implications for humanity. Get involved! The NASA Astrobiology Debates are open to students of all ages, levels and nationalities. We are actively recruiting judges and topic experts for the student-interviews. Please email any questions or inquiries to "NASADebates@gmail.com":mailto:NASADebates@gmail.com.

NASA Astrobiology Debates: Western Championship Live Webcast

*Watch the debates live right here at 1:30PM Pacific time on October 18th, 2015!* For more information about this event, and other future NASA Astrobiology Debates, visit the "NASA Astrobiology Debates Online Speech Competition":http://www.nasadebates.org/Western-Championship-Information-and-Registration.php website. This webcast is sponsored by "SAGANet.org":http://saganet.org, the social network for all things astrobiology. Watch the "livestream":http://saganet.org/page/saganlive on SAGANet.org and join the live chat! *What are the NASA Astrobiology Debates?* Organized by the NASA Astrobiology Program and The George Washington University, the "NASA Astrobiology Debates":http://www.nasadebates.org challenge students of all ages to research and debate the complex ethical and political questions raised by the 2015-16 NASA Astrobiology Debates topic, "Resolved: An overriding ethical obligation to protect and preserve extraterrestrial microbial life and ecosystems should be incorporated into international law." The discovery of extraterrestrial microbial life would change the nature and meaning of life itself. The NASA Astrobiology Debates seek to engage present and future leaders in dialogue on the implications of such a discovery. During the 2015-16 school year, students will compete in online speech competitions, public debates, and tournament competitions judged by a cross-section of thought-leaders. In addition, students will conduct interviews with topic experts drawn from across the disciplines and the videos of the interviews will be posted to this website to create a permanent online resource for research into astrobiology and its implications for humanity. Get involved! The NASA Astrobiology Debates are open to students of all ages, levels and nationalities. We are actively recruiting judges and topic experts for the student-interviews. Please email any questions or inquiries to "NASADebates@gmail.com":mailto:NASADebates@gmail.com.

NASA/Library of Congress Astrobiology Symposium

Astrobiology has revealed new discoveries about our world and the solar system. Living organisms thrive in harsher environments on Earth than we ever previously imagined. Microbial biodiversity and extremophile life are now known to be ubiquitous and abundant. Beyond Earth, science has identified more than 1,400 exoplanets. That life thrives in multifarious conditions, coupled with these potentially habitable exoplanets and the detection of life-giving elements on numerous moons on asteroids, means we must face the possibility that simple or complex organisms may be discovered beyond Earth. How might we prepare for such a discovery? Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology Steven J. Dick convenes scientists, historians, philosophers and theologians from around the world for a two-day symposium at the Library of Congress to explore how we prepare to face new knowledge that may challenge our very conceptions of life and our place in the universe. Click the links below to watch the archived sessions: Day 1 – September 18, 2014 9:00 – 9:30 "Welcome":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5ntjdf2hrc/ The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress "Greeting":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5ntjdf2hrc?launcher=false&pbElOpen=false&archiveOffset=390000 Hon. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology "Introductory Remarks":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5ntjdf2hrc?launcher=false&pbElOpen=false&archiveOffset=1040000 Mary Voytek, Senior Scientist for Astrobiology at NASA 9:30 – 10:00 "Setting the Stage":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5ntjdf2hrc?launcher=false&pbElOpen=false&archiveOffset=1230000 “Astrobiology and Society: An Overview of the Symposium” – Steven J. Dick, NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology "“Current Approaches to Finding Life Beyond Earth, and What Happens If We Do”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p7sdwei4nvb/ – Seth Shostak, SETI Institute Break 10:15 – 12:15 Approaches: How Do We Frame the Problem of Discovery? Moderator / Chair, Seth Shostak, SETI Institute "“History, Discovery, Analogy”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p8ffcznw3bm/ – Steven J. Dick, Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology "“Silent Impact: The Worldview Significance of Discovering Non-Communicative Extraterrestrials”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p90p0lyqsus/ – Clément Vidal, Free University of Brussels "“The Philosophy of Astrobiology”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p3reoea7zoy/ – Iris Fry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology "Discussion + Q&A":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p7ohj2m6800/ 1:45 – 4:45 Transcending Anthropocentrism: How Do We Move Beyond Our Own Preconceptions of What Life Is? Moderator / Chair, Carol Cleland, University of Colorado "“The Landscape of Life”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p6g6ev5m0fi/ – Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Washington State University and Technical University Berlin "“The Landscape of Intelligence”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p8fs4du4y7m/ – Lori Marino, The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy "“Universal Biology: Circumventing the N=1 Problem about Life”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p4uedp65weh/ – Carlos Mariscal, Centre for Comparative Genomics & Evolutionary Bioinformatics Break "“Equating Culture, Civilization, and Moral Development in Imagining ETI: Anthropocentric Assumptions?”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p6k2s71mdob/ – John Traphagan, University of Texas at Austin "Discussion + Q&A":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5plcca32jw/ Day 2 – September 19, 2014 9:00 – 9:10 Setting the Stage "“Astrobiology and Society”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p4touwtie8k/ - Steven J. Dick, NASA/Library of Congress Chair Philosophical Impact: How Do We Comprehend The Philosophical and Theological Challenges Raised by Discovery? Moderator / Chair, Constance Bertka, Science and Society Resources "“Potential Roles for Life and Intelligence in the Evolution of the Cosmos”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p7ns0a9kn92/ – Mark Lupisella, NASA "“The Moral Status of Non-Human Organisms”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p9osrdmtdjs/ – Carol Cleland (University of Colorado Boulder) and Elspeth Wilson (University of Pennsylvania) "“Alien Minds”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p39bvbis2q5/ - Susan Schneider, University of Connecticut Break "“Astrobiology and Theology,”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p2bnkx7m970/ - Robin Lovin, Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton, N.J. "“Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p575rvceanm/ – Guy Consolmagno, SJ Vatican Observatory "Discussion + Q&A":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p911s04q0lf/ 1:45 – 4:05 Practical Impact: How Should Society Cope with Discovery? Moderator / Chair, Jennifer Wiseman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center "“Is there Anything New about Astrobiology and Society?”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p2fjy93mmha/ - Jane Maienschein, Arizona State University "“Searching for Extraterrestrial Life: Coping with Discovery by Considering Potential Risks”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p4jrjw0hv59/ - Margaret Race, SETI Institute "“An Astrobiological App for a Technological Society”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p6nz5ixd3t8/ – Eric Chaisson, Harvard University Break "“The Allure of Alien Life: From Microbes to Intelligence”":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p5uwr8ujl3g/ – Linda Billings, National Institute of Aerospace "Discussion + Q&A":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p95awq6xbcq/ 4:05 - 4:15 "Conclusion":https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/p61n7q3zj8h/ Steven J. Dick, NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths

What Earth’s History Can Teach Us About Planets Orbiting Other Stars If you could visit the early Earth, you would find it a vastly different, inhospitable, and alien place. Yet, it was in this environment that life on this planet began and evolved. What do we know about the ancient Earth and how can that guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars? Come find out at a panel discussion featuring leading scientists in the fields of early Earth and habitability and co-sponsored by NASA, NSF and the Smithsonian Institution.

Finding Alien Life: On Earth, on Mars, and Throughout the Cosmos

How do we define “life”? This fundamental question has remained largely philosophical, because it has been asked for so long, by so many, and with so few concrete conclusions. In this talk, Dr. Benner will take a different tack. He will show how laboratory studies to create a second example of life help us develop a firmer scientific understanding of what life is. The challenge of “synthetic biology” is on! Dr. Benner will discuss how we are hitchhiking on rockets, rovers, and telescopes to find life elsewhere in the Solar System, and will describe how his research team is working to develop that second example of life in laboratories here on Earth, one step at a time. *To join using a web browser:* The slides and audio/video for this seminar will be presented using Adobe Connect. To join the seminar, connect to: "http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar":http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar If you are having problems connecting, you can try joining "http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar/?launcher=false":http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar/?launcher=false, rebooting your computer, or try joining from another network. *To join using a videoconferencing system:* Please RSVP to Mike Toillion (mike.toillion@nasa.gov) ONLY if you will be joining by videoconference. To view the slides, connect to "http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar":http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/uwseminar

Explorer, Nobel Laureate, Astrobiologist: Things You Never Knew About Barry Blumberg

Baruch Samuel "Barry" Blumberg traveled to Earth¹s far reaches as a medical explorer and pioneer. Through perseverance in the face of skepticism, he made discoveries that saved hundreds of millions of lives. This remarkable career shaped his perspectives when, at age 72, he became the Founding Director of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. In this talk I will trace Barry¹s early years and describe how his studies of genetic variations in diverse and remote populations led to his serendipitous discovery of the Hepatitis B virus and subsequent development of a protective vaccine, for which he was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. I'll relate these experiences to his views and actions as NAI Director.