ASB6: The Origin, Distribution & Detection of Life in the Universe

The sixth biennial conference of the Astrobiology Society of Britain - ASB6: The Origin, Distribution & Detection of Life in the Universe - will take place at University College London from 2-4 September 2015. The meeting is being hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck.

Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary topic that brings together many branches of science, including astronomy, astrochemistry, astrobiology technology, biology, chemistry of life, development of life-forms in other environments, exoplanets, extremophiles, geomicrobiology, habitable zones, humans in space, life's origins, Mars, meteorites, microbial communities, origin of complex organics, panspermia, planetary protection, prebiotic climates, public engagement, SETI. ASB6 will address these topics and more.

Confirmed invited speakers (with tentative titles) are:

•   Charles Cockell (University of Edinburgh) "Uninhabited Habitats"
•   Claire Cousins (University of St Andrews) "Earth-based Martian analogues"
•   Sanjeev Gupta (Imperial College) "Ancient Habitable Environments on Mars"
•   Gerhard Kminek (ESA) "Planetary Protection"
•   Nick Lane (UCL) "Origin of Life"
•   Lynn Rothschild (NASA Ames) "Synthetic Astrobiology"
•   Giovanna Tinetti (UCL) "Identifying habitable environments in our Galaxy"
•   Jean-Pierre de Vera (DLR) "BIOMEX and BIOSIGN experiments on the ISS"

With thanks to the support from our ASB6 sponsors:

•   Astrobiological Society of Britain
•   UK Space Agency
•   Royal Astronomical Society
•   University College London
•   Birkbeck College, University of London
•   The Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck
•   UK Centre for Astrobiology