Thursday, 14 August 2008
Earth and Beyond - A cosmic perspective
Coordinator: Birger Schmitz, Lund University (Sweden)
Some of the world's most renowned scientists highlight recent developments in planetary research, providing a new understanding of our place in the universe. Topics include the search for Earth-like planets in other solar systems, the role of asteroids and comets for the evolution of life on Earth, water on Mars and its possible significance for extraterrestrial life, the meteoritic perspective on the condensation of the solar nebula, volcanism and impact cratering in our solar system, and the ultimate question: How might Earth's habitability come to an end, making it no longer Earth-like?
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Geoscience program
08:30-08:33 Introduction
Birger Schmitz
Lund University (Sweden)
08:33-09:00 From gaseous giants to rocky planets: Search for extraterrestrial planets
Michel Mayor
University of Geneva (Switzerland)
09:00-09:30 A meteoritic perspective on the formation and early evolution of asteroids
and terrestrial planets
Thorsten Kleine
ETH-Zürich (Switzerland)
09:30-10:00 Volcanism in the Solar System
Alfred McEwen
University of Arizona (USA)
10:00-10:30 Coffee break
10:30-11:00 Impact cratering on Earth and other planets
Christian Koeberl
University of Vienna (Austria)
11:00-11:30 Asteroids, comets and the evolution of life
Walter Alvarez
University of California, Berkeley (USA)
11:30-12:00 Mid Ordovician asteroid break-up and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification
Event
Birger Schmitz
Lund University (Sweden)
StatoilHydro lecture
12:00-12:45 Water on Mars: Past and present
Maria Zuber
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)