THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS
Seminars
Semester 1
The origin, evolution and future of life is one of the greatest scientific mysteries of mankind. Are we alone in the universe? After reaching the stage of technological civilization, humanity begins to explore the entire solar system in search of life on other planets, and Mars is a priority. Because Mars was habitable for various terrestrial extremophiles early on, numerous types and locations of extreme environments on Earth have been investigated for evidence of the existence of life on Mars. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of the evolution of the universe towards life, the habitability of Mars, what kind of life should have evolved on Mars and how life on Mars or evidence for its existence could have been preserved over billions of years. I will also show some fun pictures from the field research in the Qaidam Basin on the Tibetan Plateau that my group has been conducting over the past 10 years.
Additional information: Prof. Y.L. LI, yiliang@hku.hk