The search for alien life – here on earth

The search for alien life – here on earth

The oldest rocks and most hostile landscapes on Earth are vital clues that may one day help us discover life on other planets or in other solar systems, says a leading astrobiologist from the University of Auckland.

The oldest rocks and most hostile landscapes on Earth are vital clues that may one day help us discover life on other planets or in other solar systems, says a leading astrobiologist from the University of Auckland.

Kathy Campbell, Professor of Earth Science at the University’s School of Environment, gives her inaugural lecture this month on how unlocking the mystery of the origin and evolution of life on Earth provides a guide in the search for alien life.

Professor Campbell’s research focuses on the inner workings of some of the world’s most extreme and inhospitable environments including microbes preserved in minerals in Taupo’s hydrothermal systems and the desert landscapes of South America and Australia.

“Planets in our solar system such as Jupiter and Mars are extremely inhospitable to life as we know it, and yet have the potential for preserving past or present microbial life,” Professor Campbell says.

“By exploring similarly inhospitable environments here on Earth, we may discover places on other planets where signs of life may be present.”

As a geologist, Professor Campbell is passionate about the study of rocks – they tell the story of ‘deep time’ and the evolution of life on Earth, archived in a geological record millions or even billions of years old.

“Geologists love rocks, they tell us about the past and even about what might happen with Earth’s changing environment into the future. We can read their layers like pages in a book and give us a sense of our place in the Universe.”

If people were as interested in Earth Sciences as they are in their mobile phones, the world’s future might be more secure, she says.

“If you understand that humans have been here in what we can think of as the geological blink of an eye, then you also understand what it takes to make the resources we use every day. We are only stewards of this planet and we need to look after it.”

This free public lecture, Life on the Edge: A Journey of Discovery in Earth Science, will be held on Wednesday 28 October at 5pm in the Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Rd, OGGB5 Lecture Theatre (260-051).

ENDS

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