Life in the Universe

Are we alone in the universe? This question has fascinated people since the beginning of recorded history, but only now can we approach it in a scientific way. The discovery of a large number of planets in the Milky Way opens up the possibility of studying their atmospheres and inferring signs of life from them.infer signs of life. At the same time, new techniques in laboratory experiments allow us to find out how life originated here on Earth. And advances in space technology are stimulating discussion about how we might one day realistically travel to planets orbiting other stars.

Laura Kreidbergis Director at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg (MPIA). As head of the Department of Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets (APEx) she combines the observation and modeling of exoplanets to study their chemical composition, 3D structure, atmospheric dynamics and potential habitability.

Coryn Bailer-Jonesconducts research at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg in the Department of Atmospheric Physics of Exoplanets (APEx). Here he works on machine learning methods and statistical data analysis for inference in large astronomical data sets. His interests include the impact of astronomical phenomena on Earth and the physics of interstellar spaceflight.

Myriam Benistyis Director of the Department of Planet and Star Formation at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg (MPIA). She previously conducted research at the Observatory of the Côte d’Azur and at the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics in Grenoble.

Corinna Kufnerconducts research at the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies in Jena. There she is setting up a new junior research group that will to gain fundamental insights into the origin of life and ageing processes and to advance the development of photocatalysts for sustainable energy generation.

Language: English

In the series Science makes the future

In cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy