2012 programme

Sun 8th
14:00-14:30
TBA

Could There be Life Elsewhere in the Solar System or Galaxy?

David J. W. Moriarty

AAQ, VSS, UQ

The chemistry of when and how life may have started on Earth is now a large area of research in the field of astrobiology. The question of whether it is likely that there could be life on other planets or moons in our solar system, or elsewhere in the galaxy, could be answered from studies into the origin of life here. If there is life elsewhere, then from our knowledge of chemistry, we would expect it to be similar to that on Earth. All life is organic, i.e. it is based on the chemistry of carbon and its interactions with oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur and phosphorus, which are the major elements required for life. Several chemical processes are essential for the origin and continuation of life i.e. for biochemistry, and they require water in the liquid state to operate. It seems unlikely that much organic matter in the proto-solar nebula would have survived the accretion processes during the formation of the Earth. Therefore, chemical processes on the early Earth had to produce sufficient amounts of appropriate organic molecules from which the first bacteria — life — evolved. Many different microbes live without oxygen, but for the evolution of very complex organisms, oxygen is essential for the generation of energy to support complexity.

University education: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons), Adelaide 1966. Doctor of Philosophy, Adelaide, 1970 (Agricultural Biochemistry). Doctor of Science, The University of Adelaide, 1991 (for research on microbial ecology). Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland 1997 – 2012. Member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia ca. 1955 – 1969.
Now retired and currently an active member of the AAQ, VSS and AAVSO.