The Search for Life Beyond Earth

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rigb.org/?gclid=CNXqjrmorbsCFUbKtAodw3wAAg" target="_self">Royal Institution lecture

Dr Lewis Dartnell

What is 'life', where did it first emerge on our planet - and are we alone in the universe? UCL astrobiology researcher Dr Lewis Dartnell will be grappling with these and other questions in his Royal Institution lecture on 24 February.

Dr Dartnell will take his audience on a tour of the solar system and beyond to the newly discovered worlds that orbit distant stars, to consider which of these alien planets is the most Earth-like.

Astrobiologists are currently particularly excited about Mars and Dr Dartnell will showcase a rock from the red planet as he explores the top planetary hazards that Martians would have to endure.

Dr Dartnell is a researcher at the UCL Centre for Mathematics & Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX) and is the author of 'Life in the Universe: a Beginner's Guide'.

The lecture promises to demystify the new science of astrobiology to shed light on man's place in the universe and consider what aliens might actually look like.

Tickets cost £8 (£6 for concessions and £4 for Royal Institution members) and are available from the Royal Institution's website.