Presentation: Astrobiology: Life in the Universe by Prof. William Welsh
Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and search for life in the universe. The past few decades have revealed numerous discoveries that are fueling explosive growth in this field. For example, it was discovered that over 5600 planets are in orbit around other stars, that life can thrive in extremely hostile environments, and that there may be more water on Jupiter's moon, Europa, than on the Earth. In this talk, Professor Welsh discussed how these discoveries influence our understanding of the origin and requirements for life, and how astronomers can search for signatures of extraterrestrial life.
William Welsh is a Professor of Astronomy at San Diego State University and has been teaching a course on astrobiology for over 20 years. He earned his PhD from Ohio State University, followed by postdoctoral work at Keele University in England and at the University of Texas, Austin. As an observational astronomer, he has worked on active galactic nuclei, accretion disks, compact-object binary stars, and transiting exoplanets. In 2008 he was selected to join NASA's Kepler Mission. Dr. Welsh has been a pioneer in the field of “circumbinary planets”, a new class of planet that he helped establish.
This presentation was held on 25 July 2024 at the Namibia Scientific Society.
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