Parallel Worlds: Evolution of life across the cosmos

This one hour talk at Museum of Zoology is focused on the probable nature of extraterrestrial life, including the degree to which it is likely to be similar to life here on Earth. It seems timely to consider this issue now, when we are on the verge of discovering our first evidence for life beyond our home planet.

For millennia, humans have gazed up into the night sky and wondered whether there might be life anywhere ‘out there’ in the cosmos. In the twenty-first century, we are fast approaching the point of being able to answer the age-old question: are we alone? The answer will almost certainly turn out to be ‘no’. This is virtually guaranteed by two discoveries made in the last hundred years or so: that the Milky Way is just one of countless galaxies; and that the number of planets beyond our solar system – ‘exoplanets’ – is vast. But what is extraterrestrial life actually like? What kinds of creatures roam the surfaces of alien planets or swim in their seas? Are they typically in the genre of ‘life as we know it’, or are they characterized by exotic forms and as-yet undiscovered metabolism? In Parallel Worlds, Wallace Arthur argues that we should expect to find creatures that are similar in broad terms – but not specific ones –  to those of Earth. This is to be expected because the environments of habitable planets have many parallel features, so Darwinian natural selection should work in parallel ways, producing broadly parallel trees of life.

The talk starts at 7pm until 8pm and will take place in the Whale Hall of the Museum of Zoology. No need to book a place, just come along on the night. Free of charge.