Supported by:
Participating institutions:
Deep biosphere research is at the scientific frontier of bio and geo related sciences, yet it is largely underexplored In terms of volume, deep subsurface settings represent some of the largest microbial habitats on the planet, and the combined biomass of the deep biosphere encompass the largest living reservoir of carbon, excluding land plants However, before plants colonized land 400 Ma), the deep biosphere outweighed the surface biosphere by about one order of magnitude, providing a new “ perspective on the history of life on Earth Paradoxically, the paleo record of the deep biosphere is still largely uncharted and neglected The aim of this meeting is to highlight current research of deep life through time and bring together researchers from various disciplines The scope of the meeting will bridge paleobiology, geochemistry, geobiology, microbiology and astrobiology Deciphering the fossil record of the deep biosphere is a challenging task, but when successful, will unlock doors to life`s cryptic past.
The symposium is organised by the Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre. Information can be found in the flyer of the event.
The aim of this meeting is to bring together leading researchers from different backgrounds (geologists, geophysicists, astronomers, geochemists, evolutionary biologists, and other researchers with an interest in impact studies) to discuss the influence that impact has had on the evolution of our planet and, possibly, on the emergence of life as well as to exchange recent advances in impact science regarding both terrestrial and planetary impacts. The following themes will be covered by the conference:
The use of micro- and nanosatellites in space missions have been one of the hot topics in space research and space technology during the last years. As opposed to traditional spacecraft missions which can take decades to prepare and may cost up to billions of Euros, microsatellites (<100 kg) and nanosatellites (<10 kg) offer a quick, low-cost alternative for atmospheric and space research, which is ideal for early career people. However, in order to plan missions involving such small satellites successfully, intensive interaction and cooperation between scientists and space technologists are necessary, which is still lacking in some potential key applications.The early career scientist workshop/summer school "Microsatellites in planetary and atmospheric research" will take place from 6 to 11 August 2018 at the University of Tartu. It aims to:
The aim of the course is to give participants a thorough multidisciplinary introduction into the field of exoplanets, their detection, types, characterization, and to explore the possibility of life on exoplanets. In addition, more general planetary subjects like formation of planetary systems, habitability of planets, and physical processes in planetary atmospheres will be covered. To give participants some hands-on experience with detection of exoplanets, observations of several exoplanet transits using the Nordic Optical Telescope will be carried out. The course is open to PhD students and early career scientists (up to 8 years after their first Ph. D.) from all countries. It is co-organised by the Nordic Network of Astrobiology and the EU COST Action "Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth and in the Universe" Please find all neccessary infos at the website of the course.
Two big questions are at the centre of research regarding the emergence of life on Earth and the possibility of life in the universe: (a) is there life on other celestial bodies? and (b) when did life first appear on Earth ? To throw light on these questions, reliable methods for the detection of life using unambiguous biosignatures are essential. This meeting will to bring together astronomers, geologists, biologists and other interested scientists to share interdisciplinary approaches to detect signs of life on early Earth and other celestial bodies (including exoplanets) and to elucidate the environmental limits and origins of life.
Scientific sessions are planned for the following subjects:
The meeting is open to all interested scientists. However, the organisers will not issue any invitations for participants to obtain visa for attending the meeting.
The meeting is co-organised by the Nordic Network of Astrobiology and the Centre of Geobiology at the University of Bergen and will take place from 20 to 22 May 2014 at the Egget Auditorium at the University of Bergen. For further information about the event, accesss the website of the conference:
http://www.nordicastrobiology.net/Biosignatures2014
The winter school Water and the Evolution of Life in the Universe" will be held in Hawai'i from 1-14 January 2014. The applications for the event has expired. Information about the course will be sent to all accepted participants.
The third meeting of the Nordic Network of Astrobiology will be devoted to the subject "Isotopes as diagnostic tools in astronomy, geology and biology". Isotope ratios are used in many fields of astrobiology, to determine the origin and siynthesis pathways of interstellar molecules, to date early geological formation, to assess paleoclimates and, last but not least to detect life on early Earth. The conference aims to bring researchers from different fields using isotopes together to exchange the newest developments in this field and to develop ideas for further research.
The conference will take place at Ã�kersberg HerrgÃ¥rd in Höör, SkÃ¥ne in Southern Sweden. The venue is only a 400m walk from Höör railway station. From Höör station there are direct connections to Copenhagen Airport every hour during daytime and the journey takes only 50 minutes.
The meeting is open to interested scientists all over the world. For further information check the conference website.
The course "Impacts and their Role in the Evolution of Life" will take place from 16 to 25 August 2013 at Kuressaare and the Kaali impact crater site on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. It aims to give students a thorough introduction in the role of meteorite and comets impacts in the formation of Earth, its atmosphere and the evolution of life. The course consists of lectures, pratical exercises and student-led discussions. Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in two poster sessions. The lecture programme will be complemented by practical exercises concerning:
Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in two poster sessions. Furthermore, excursions to geologically interesting sites like the Panga cliffs will be organised.
For further information check the website of the course.
The summer course "Molecules in space", which will be held at Onsala Space Observatory , Sweden from 25 June to 2 July 2013, aims to give participants a thorough introduction into the role of molecules in many astronomical environments. The programme of the summer school comprises:
The event is aimed for graduate (masters and Ph. D.) students and early career scientists (up to 5 years after their first Ph. D. in a related field) in fields relevant to astrochemistry and astrobiology. The event is open to applicants from all nationalities. Detailed information about the summer school and the application procedure (deadline 2 April 2013) can be found here.
Fhe First International Workshop on Education in Astrobiology will take place in Höör, Sweden from 6 - 9 June 2013, The meeting aims to bring together scientists and teachers engaged in astrobiology education on universities and other training institutions to
Training students in such a multidisciplinary subject implies a lot of challenges and pitfalls, both in the set-up and organization of the course, choice of lecturers and literature, grading of students as well as the necessity of new teaching methods. The conference will not only serve as forum for exchange of ideas and experiences, but also as a starting point for a long-term international collaboration in astrobiology teaching.
The meeting venue is held at the very pleasant �kersberg Stiftsgård which is only a 50 min direct train ride from Copenhagen International Airport. For further information about the event check its website.
The summer school "Water, Ice and the Origin of Life in the Universe" was held in Iceland from 2-15 July 2012. The event got excellent reviews from the participants. Moreover, it also appeared on Icelandic TV, also the most important Icelandic newspaper "Morgunblaðið" ran an article. The next Hawai'i-Nordic summer school will very probably take place in January 2014.
This year's meeting was devoted to the subject "The Warm Universe - Astrochemistry at Intermediate and Elevated Temperatures". It was organised as a joint event with the European Union COST Action "The Chemical Cosmos: Understanding Chemical Processe in Astronomical Environments".
The meeting was a great success with around 90 Nordic and international scientists attending. It served to put our Network on the map in the international Astrobiology and Astrochemistry community.
Information about the meeting is available on the website of the event.
The 2nd International Workshop on "Microbial Life under Extreme Energy Limitation" took place at Aarhus University during May 6-9 2012.
Full information on the workshop is available on the website of the event.
The first open meeting of the Nordic Astrobiology Network was arranged in Turku (Finland) from 18th to 21st September 2011 and had the theme "Comets, Rocks and Life". Information about programme, organisational details and registration can be found on the website of the conference.
Based on this success, the Nordic Network co-organised a winter school in Hawaii from 3 to 16 January 2011 in co-operation with (and mostly funded by) NAI. Here, the practical part consisted of astronomical observations with focus on icy solar system bodies. The school was again a great success and in the words of the NAI Director students have been "glowing" about the event afterwards. Information about the event can be found here.
The next summer/winter schools are planned for July 2012 (Iceland) and January 2014 (Hawai'i).
The Nordic Countries hosted the Astrobiology Graduate Conference AbGradCon 2010 (TÃ�¤llberg, Sweden 14-18 June 2010). This was the first time this event was held outside the USA. 48 young and early career scientists from all the fields of astrobiology gave talks at this meeting and it was a great success with 88 persons from 29 different nations participating.
A workshop entitled "Water Delivery on Early Earth" in co-operation with the Swedish Astrobiology Network (SWAN) on 3rd November 2009. Several internationally renowned scientists presented different theories of the origin of Earth's water. The event was attended by about 50 people.
The kick-off meeting of the Network was held at the University of Turku on 25 October 2007. An agenda can be found here.
A satellite meeting for young astrobiologists was organised at the last day of the 7th EANA Workshop in Turku, Finland. Many young Nordic Astrobiologists took part in that event, which had a large audience and 3 of them gave presentations.