Supervisor: Liv Hornekær

Title: Astrobiology

Throughout human history, we have looked to the night skies and wondered “are we alone?” Ideas about alien lifeforms and their possible interactions with us have inspired conspiracy theorists and movie franchises alike. In this colloquium, I will give an introduction to the field of science dedicated to actually answer the question; that is, astrobiology – the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.

To do this, I will define and characterize life as we know it and introduce the Drake equation, quantifying the probability for us to communicate with other intelligent species within our galaxy. I will show how the advances in exoplanet detection has allowed us to identify numerous habitable worlds beside our own as well as probe their atmospheres. I will then discuss how we plan to search for life on these planets by looking for a range of possible biosignatures as well as the efforts to search for life within our own solar system.