In today's News and Observer:
Mary H. Schweitzer, associate professor of paleontology at N.C. State University, will talk about how paleontology can help determine whether life ever existed on other planets.She will speak at a Periodic Tables event sponsored by the Museum of Life and Science in Durham on Tuesday.
Periodic Tables is a regular program that gives adults a chance to learn and discuss the latest in science. Schweitzer will share her expertise in the field of astrobiology and explain how we can use the tools of molecular paleontology to detect biomarkers not only in fossils but also in extraterrestrial samples.
The program begins at 7 p.m. at the Broad Street Cafe, 1116 Broad St., Durham. It is free and open to the public.
For more information, go to the Periodic Tables page on the Museum of Life and Science's Web site.
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Astrobiology is a very interesting topic. Though definitely not an expert, I am fascinated by NASA's search for life on Mars as it merges two of my favorite pursuits ... Microbiology (which is my job) and Astronomy (which is my favoritest hobby). Heck, I've thought about applying for a NASA job (each year the accept applications for astronauts). I recently gave a talk to the local Astronomy Club (made up mostly of Physics majors) on the potential for microbial life on Mars. In essence, attempting to answer the question "Is life on Mars possible?" by examining environments on Earth which are similar to Mars, and seeing how the organisms have adapted. The talk was rather basic, being geared to non-biologists, but it was fun. As an aside, Scribd is a neat website as well!
Posted by: TomJoe | November 6, 2008 5:07 PM