Historic Bioastronomy Conference

Although a little too late to get involved (and old news to many, but)
what seems to be the most historically important scientific conference
related to astrobiology and exoplanet related science seems to be
underway at

BIOASTRONOMY 2004: HABITABLE WORLDS

http://www.bioastronomy2004.os.is/

Conference Program

SPECIAL EVENT - PUBLIC TALK BY KAREN MEECH, FRIDAY JULY 9
Karen Meech, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii:
Astrobiology at the University of Hawaii: Water and Life in the
Universe
Askja building, University of Iceland, July 9 at 13:00
BIOASTRONOMY 2004: HABITABLE WORLDS
Conference program
SUNDAY, JULY 11
Note: Registration tables will be open in the University Cinema and
Conference Center on Sunday, 16:00-19:00 (4-7 PM). Please register
Sunday, if possible, to avoid crowded registration tables Monday
morning. Posters can be set up Sunday.

19:00 – 21:30 OPENING CEREMONY IN REYKJAVÍK CITY HALL


Drinks and light refreshments will be served during this event.


WELCOMING ADDRESSES
City of Reykjavík representative
Karen Meech, President of IAU Commission 51
Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Chairman of Local Organizing Committee
Alan Boss, Chairman of Science Organizing Committee

On the history of Iceland
Dr. Gunnar Karlsson, professor of history, University of Iceland

Volcanoes of Iceland
Dr. Guðmundur Sigvaldason, Nordic Volcanological Institute, Reykjavík

From Iceland to Mars
Dr. William K. Hartmann, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona




Time First author Affiliation Title
MONDAY, JULY 12
7:45 Registration tables open in University Cinema and Conference
Center
8:20- 8:30 Opening and LOC / SOC announcements
EXTRASOLAR HABITABLE WORLDS - I
Chair: Eduardo Martin
8:30- 9:15 Artie P. Hatzes Tautenburg Observatorium Habitable
planets around nearby stars (INVITED)
9:15- 9:30 Steinn Sigurðsson Penn State University An old and
distant planet: Hubble observations of a jovian planet and
implications for past planet formation
9:30- 9:45 John H. Debes Penn State University Digging in the
stellar graveyard for planets with HST
9:45-10:00 Joseph Lazio Naval Research Laboratory Planetary
magnetospheres, planetary habitability, and direct detection of
extrasolar planets
10:00-10:15 Cristiano Cosmovici IFSI/CNR, Rome The search for the 22
GHz MASER water emission in comets and exoplanets
10:15-10:45 Coffee Break
EXTRASOLAR HABITABLE WORLDS - II
Chair: David Latham
10:45-11:30 John Chambers NASA Ames / Carnegie Institution The
formation of habitable planets (INVITED)
11:30-11:45 P. Thebault – presented by F. Marzari Observatoire de
Meudon, Paris Modelling planetary accretion in extrasolar planetary
systems
11:45-12:00 Eiichiro Kokubo National Astronomical Observatory, Tokyo
The habitat segregation of planets
12:00-12:15 Alan P. Boss Carnegie Institution of Washington Planet
formation in binary star systems
12:15-12:30 Anders Johansen NORDITA, Copenhagen Planetesimal
formation in giant vortices?
12:30-13:45 Lunch
EXTRASOLAR HABITABLE WORLDS - III
Chair: Einar H. Gudmundsson
13:45-14:30 Álvaro Giménez ESA/ESTEC The search for extrasolar
planets continues (INVITED)
14:30-14:45 Siegfried Franck Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact
Research Extrasolar habitable worlds: 47 UMa and 55 Cnc
14:45-15:00 Hans Zinnecker Astrophysical Institute, Potsdam The
detection of terrestrial planets in extra-solar systems: Key science
case for a 100m extremely large telescope (ELT)
15:00-15:15 Neville Woolf University of Arizona / NAI Lifefinder I :
The science and the requirements
15:15-15:30 R. Angel – presented by N. Woolf University of Arizona /
NAI Lifefinder II: The location and support
15:30-16:00 COFFEE BREAK
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE - I
Chair: Jason Dworkin
16:00-16:45 Pascale Ehrenfreund University of Amsterdam Exogenous
and endogenous contributions to the origin of life (INVITED)
16:45-17:00 Clifford Matthews University of Illinois The HCN world:
Exogenous contributions of HCN polymer by comets
17:00-17:15 George J. Flynn SUNY Plattsburgh Carbon, nitrogen, and
oxygen characterization of interplanetary dust particles: An
assessment of the contribution to the surface of the early Earth
17:15-17:30 Pierre-Alain Monnard Harvard Medical School
Non-enzymatic RNA polymerization in eutectic phase in ice: A clue to
the early Earth environment?
17:30-17:45 Edward Braun University of Florida The evolutionary
history of the protein subunit of RNase P in prokaryotes provides
insights into the transition from the RNA World
17:45-20:00 POSTER SESSION
TUESDAY, JULY 13
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE - II
Chair: Rosalind Grymes
8:30- 9:15 Camilla Nesbø Dalhousie University Comparative genomics
of Thermotoga (INVITED)
9:15- 9:30 Vladimir Kompanichenko Institute for Complex Analysis,
Khabarovsk, Russia Properties of biological systems and their origin
under specific hydrothermal conditions
9:30- 9:45 Janet Siefert Rice University The phylogeny of bacterial
shape
9:45-10:00 Anna M. Carnerup Australian National University
Inorganic biomimetic structures
10:00-10:15 Vladimir Ivkovic Institute for Anthropological
Research, Zagreb Cybernetic models of biotic systems: Understanding
emerging biocomplexity
10:15-10:45 COFFEE BREAK
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE - III
Chair: Natalia Gontareva
10:45-11:30 Sveinn Jakobsson Icelandic Institute of Natural History
The alteration process of the Surtsey hyaloclastite, Iceland: Are
microbes partly responsible? (INVITED)
11:30-11:45 Lucas Mix Harvard University The evolution of reaction
centers in anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria
11:45-12:00 David Schwartzman Howard University Biogenesis at
life's upper temperature limit: A hyperthermophilic origin of life
12:00-12:15 J. William Schopf University of California,
Los Angeles Raman imagery of ancient microscopic fossils
12:15-12:30 Alexandre Tsapin Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chirality as
a biomarker. New approach for life detection
12:30-13:45 LUNCH
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE - IV
Chair: Kristján Kristjánsson
13:45-14:30 Jakob Kristjánsson Prokaria / University of Iceland
Diversity, distribution and use of thermophiles in Icelandic
geothermal areas (INVITED)
14:30-14:45 Michael J. Mottl University of Hawaii Serpentinization,
abiogenic methane, and extremophilic Archaea within the seafloor
14:45-15:00 Viggó Þór Marteinsson Prokaria, Reykjavík Hot
subterranean biosphe An extreme habitat on Earth and possibly
elsewhere
15:00-15:15 Joseph Seckbach Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Terrestrial extremophiles as models for celestial life
15:15-15:30 Martin Nilsson NORDITA, Niels Bohr Institute Homochiral
growth from enantiomeric cross-inhibition
15:30-16:00 COFFEE BREAK
LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM - I
Chair: John Rummel
16:00-16:45 Christopher Chyba SETI Institute / Stanford University
Potential for life on Europa or other outer solar system satellites
(INVITED)
16:45-17:00 John Rummel NASA Headquarters Challenges in
Astrobiology: Preserving the record of life (or not) in the Solar
System
17:00-17:15 Kevin P. Hand Stanford University Oxidant production
via electron bombardment of ice mixtures; implications for radiolysis
on the surface of Europa
17:15-17:30 Max Bernstein NASA Ames Research Center Ice radiation
chemistry as a source of potential false biomarkers on the surface of
Europa
17:30-17:45 Giovanni Strazzulla INAF- Osservatorio Astrofisico,
Catania Production of oxidants by ion irradiation of water/carbon
dioxide frozen mixtures
20:15-22:30 EVENING PROGRAM, OPEN FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

Eric Gaidos University of Hawaii Life under Ice: From Iceland to the
Outer Solar System
Alan P. Boss Carnegie Institution of Washington Looking for Earths
in Nearby Solar Systems

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14
LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM - II
Chair: Malcolm Walter
8:30- 9:15 Philip Christensen Arizona State University The history
of water on Mars: Evidence from minerals, morphology (and rovers) -
INVITED
9:15- 9:30 James Head Brown University Mars: Geological evidence for
long-term climate change and implications for the hydrologic cycle and
habitable environments
9:30- 9:45 James Rice Arizona State University The aqueous history of
the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites
9:45-10:00 A. A. Hansen – presented by K. Finster University of
Aarhus Activity and stability of a complex terrestrial bacterial
community in a simulated Martian environment
10:00-10:15 K. Thomas-Keprta – presented by S. Clemett Lockheed
Martin, Houston Truncated hexa-octahedral magnetite in Martian
meteorite ALH84001: Evidence of biogenic activity on early Mars
10:15-10:45 COFFEE BREAK
SPECIAL SESSION ON LATEST RESULTS FROM MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS, MARS
EXPRESS AND MARS ODYSSEY
Chair: James Garvin
10:45-10:55 Jim Garvin NASA HQ Introduction to Special Session: State
of Mars science in 2004 and NASA's strategy
10:55-11:15 Benton Clark Lockheed-Martin Survival of life on Mars:
Current thoughts including results from MER Rovers
11:15-11:35 Joel Levine NASA Langley Research Center Search for life
in the Mars atmosphe Current and future possibilities
11:35-11:55 James W. Head Brown University Climate dynamics on Mars
and its relation to life, including new views from Mars Express
11:55-12:00 Summary of Special Session
12:00-12:15 Haraldur P. Gunnlaugsson University of Aarhus Icelandic
basalts as analogues for Mars Exploration Rover samples: Implications
for magnetism and soil formation processes
12:15-12:30 I. Kanik - presented
by L.W. Beegle Jet Propulsion Laboratory Wet chemistry experiment at
Mars (WetChem)
12:30-13:00 LUNCH
13:00 – 22:00 MID-CONFERENCE TOUR TO ÞINGVELLIR, GULLFOSS AND GEYSIR*
*Dinner at Geysir is included in the tour price
THURSDAY, JULY 15
LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM - III
Chair: Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson
8:30- 9:15 William K. Hartmann Planetary Science Institute The first
500 My: Early bombardment and planetary habitability (INVITED)
9:15- 9:30 Diedrich Möhlmann DLR Institut für Planetenforschung,
Berlin Adsorption water related potential chemical and biological
processes in the upper Martian surface
9:30- 9:45 Jens Ormö Centro de Astrobiología, Madrid Indications for
microbial activity in the formation of hematite concretions in
southern Utah: An analogue to the hematite deposits at the Opportunity
landing site, Mars?
9:45-10:00 David L. Bish Indiana University Can microorganisms
utilize water of hydration in minerals in extremely dry environments?
10:00-10:15 Sergey A. Bulat St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute
Life detection strategy for subglacial Lake Vostok, Antarctica: The
lessons for bioexploration of icy planets and moons
10:15-10:45 coffee break
LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM - IV
Chair: Ray Norris
10:45-11:30 Michael Meyer Astrobiology,
NASA Headquarters The Search for Life, even as we don't know it
(INVITED)
11:30-11:45 Tobias Owen University of Hawaii Titan before Huygens
11:45-12:00 Joop M. Houtkooper University of Giessen Possible
evolutionary pathway for Martian biota
12:00-12:15 Hermann Böhnhardt Max-Planck-Institut für
Sonnensystemforschung The Rosetta Lander PHILAE and bioastronomy of
comets
12:15-12:30 David Stubbs - presented by Joe Pitman Lockheed Martin,
Palo Alto Multiple instrument distributed aperture sensor (MIDAS)
design concept
12:30-13:45 Lunch
LIFE IN EXTRASOLAR PLANETARY SYSTEMS - I
Chair: Eric Gaidos
13:45-14:30 David J. Stevenson California Institute of Technology
Planetary diversity (INVITED)
14:30-14:45 John Parnell University of Aberdeen The influence of
plate tectonics on the microbial colonization of planetary surfaces
14:45-15:00 Helmut Lammer Space Research Institute, Graz
Atmospheric stability of Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of M
stars
15:00-15:15 Charles H. Lineweaver University of New South Wales
Increasingly detailed prerequisites for life and the Galactic
habitable zone
15:15-15:30 Sandra Pizzarello Arizona State University The cosmic
distribution of biomolecule precursors
15:30-16:00 COFFEE BREAK
LIFE IN EXTRASOLAR PLANETARY SYSTEMS - II
Chair: Roger Knacke
16:00-16:45 Sara Seager Carnegie Institution Biosignatures on
extrasolar planets (INVITED)
16:45-17:00 Giovanna Tinetti NAI-NRC / California Institute of
Technology Sensitivity of extrasolar terrestrial planets' climate to
different orbital geometries
17:00-17:15 France Allard Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon Spectral
properties of extrasolar giant planets
17:15-17:30 Edwin L. Turner Princeton University Earthshine: A
reference case for extrasolar terrestrial planet characterization
17:30-17:45 Victoria Meadows JPL / Caltech Synthetic spectra of
extrasolar terrestrial planets
19:00-23:00 CONFERENCE DINNER IN RESTAURANT PERLAN
FRIDAY, JULY 16
INTELLIGENT LIFE BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM - I
Chair: Thor Jakobsson
8:30- 9:15 Lori Marino Emory University A research program for the
study of the evolution of intelligence (INVITED)
9:15- 9:30 David Waltham University of London Anthropic selection
for mild seasons
9:30- 9:45 John B. Campbell James Cook University The Fermi paradox
and the Galactic Habitable Zone: Some possible solutions
9:45-10:00 Kim Binsted University of Hawaii Recognizing features of
evolved intelligence
10:00-10:15 Claudio Maccone Via Martorelli 43, Torino Moon farside
and quiet cone as best places to do radioastronomy and SETI
10:15-10:45 COFFEE BREAK
A. INTELLIGENT LIFE BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM – II. B. ORIGIN
OF LIFE
Chair: David Morrison
10:45-11:30 Frank Drake SETI Institute Summary of SETI observing
projects on the telescope today, and on the drawing board for tomorrow
(INVITED)
11:30-11:45 William H. Edmondson University of Birmingham Refining
the SETI enterprise
11:45-12:00 Andrew W. Howard Harvard University Five-year search
for nanosecond optical pulses from nearby Solar-type stars at Harvard
and Princeton
12:00-12:15 Dan Werthimer University of California,
Berkeley The SERENDIP V Multibeam Arecibo Sky Survey
12:15-12:30 Angela Ciaravella INAF- Osservatorio Astronomico,
Palermo Role of clay on adsorbed DNA against X-ray radiation:
Possible implications for the origin of life
12:30-13:45 LUNCH
PANEL DISCUSSION - Chair: Alan Boss
EDUCATION, PUBLIC OUTREACH - Chair: Ásta Thorleifsdóttir

13:45-14:45 Panel discussion: Where to look for habitable planets?
Panelists: Kaspar von Braun, David Latham, Eduardo Martin, Margaret
Turnbull
14:45-15:00 Carol Oliver Australian Centre for Astrobiology High
school students in an international NASA mission: Unexpected outcomes
15:00-15:15 Erika G. Offerdahl University of Arizona Journey across
the disciplines: A foundation for scientific communication in
Bioastronomy
15:15-15:30 Cherilynn A. Morrow Space Science Institute,
Boulder The Alien Earths Education Program
15:30-16:00 COFFEE BREAK
COMETS, SUMMARY - Chair: Drake Deming
16:00-16:15 Karen Meech University of Hawaii NASA's Deep Impact
Mission: Understanding pre-biotic comet composition
16:15-16:30 Michael J. Mumma NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Chemical diversity among comets: Implications for delivery of water
and pre-biotic organics to early Earth
16:30-16:45 Audrey Delsanti Observatoire de Paris-Meudon
Composition and surface diversity of the Trans-Neptunian objects: A
source of prebiotic material for the inner solar system ?
16:45-17:00 Zan Peeters Leiden University The photostability of
nucleobases and their precursor molecules
17:00-17:45 Simon Conway Morris Cambridge University Summary of
conference
17:45-18:00 FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS


I would have loved to have gone to that one!!!

Jason H.