Social & Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology

Posted on Jun 22, 2017 in News | 0 comments

Social & Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology

SoCIA 2018: Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology

The second meeting of a new academic group devoted to the exploration of broad questions surrounding the search for life beyond Earth and the future of life in space (SoCIA: Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology) will be held on 13th – 15th April 2018 at the University of Nevada, Reno.


The emphasis of the meeting is on issues relevant to the underlying science, but that cannot be fully addressed by science alone. These range from social and ethical questions such as “What are our ethical obligations to alien life?” and “How can we leverage the popularity of astrobiology to improve science education?” to theoretical questions within science such as “What exactly is ‘life’ anyway?” and “What can be predicted about how extraterrestrial life might evolve and develop?”

The ultimate goals are to further research in these areas and provide a ready pool of experts to help organizations pursuing projects in space to better think through the implications of their work. For more information, see the website from last year’s inaugural meeting.

Abstracts (300 word max) should be submitted by 15th August to Kelly Smith: kcs@clemson.edu

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