Lundi 30 Septembre 2019 à 10h00 – Conférence du Prof. Timothy W. Lyons (University of River Side, California)

Are we alone? How Earth’s early oceans and atmosphere help guide the search for life beyond our solar system

Abstract : Life and life-sustaining environments, including oceans, have existed on a dynamic Earth for more than four billion years. Each of our many past planetary states was associated with a particular atmospheric composition, and those atmospheres contained gases such as oxygen and methane that were produced by Earth’s early life. Using ancient Earth to understand when and how these biosignature gases accumulated is allowing us to select targets and techniques for exploring the many Earth-like planets beyond our solar system. The talk will also address NASA’s latest missions and discoveries within our solar system.

Timothy W. Lyons,  Distinguished Professor of Biogeochemistry, Department of Earth Sciences, Director, Alternative Earths Astrobiology Center, University of California, Riverside.

He currently leads the ‘Alternative Earths’ team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, the European Association of Geochemistry, and the American Geophysical Union. He has been honored with visiting professorships throughout the world and is an Honorary Professor at the University of St. Andrews. He holds a B.S. from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.S. from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. from Yale University. His primary research interests include astrobiology, geobiology, Earth history, and the search for life beyond our solar system.