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Titan, Prebiotic Chemistry and the Origin of Life
Directores/Directors: Secretario/Secretary: Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) Presentation Questions such as ìWhat is life?î, ìIs life an expected consequence of the evolution of the Universe?î, and ìCan we determine general principles for the origin and evolution of life?î have puzzled humans for a long time. We now know that the evolution of the Universe and of the only example of life we know so far, life on Earth, share many aspects, although we know very little of the specifics. The answers to the above questions cannot come from any single discipline, but from the joint perspectives on evolution and life provided by many disciplines. Astrobiology is a trans-disciplinary field in which physics, geology, chemistry, biology, engineering, etc. interact in order to answer core questions about the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the Universe. Syllabus This year's program is devoted to the impact that the Huygens-Cassini mission to Titan has on the above questions. Issues about the origin of Titan, its atmosphere (discovered by Comas i Sola in the early 20th century), features and properties of its surface, composition and current and past properties will be discussed by leading world experts on Titan. These discussions will also include a review of the mission, its instrumentation and journey to Titan. In addition, and because of the potential that the new knowledge has for prebiotic chemistry and its current directions, the school will include a few hours of lectures and discussions on the state-of-the-art in what is thought and known about the origin of life as an emergent phenomenon and how Cassini-Huygens is impacting it. This school is for people of all ages (students, postdoctoral students, established scientists) who are concerned with both the fundamental research aimed at understanding these deep questions and the means to obtain new knowledge through experiments, observations, numerical methods, and instrument design and construction. The course will be a mixture of lectures, round table discussions and geological field observations aimed at stimulating new approaches for future flight missions. If possible, it will also include an evening of astronomical observations carried out with members of the Santander Amateur Astronomical Association. There will also be an evening public lecture on the science and engineering behind the NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact's planned collision with Comet Tempel 1 on Independence Day (July 4), 2005.
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