COSMIC DUST AND PANSPERMIA

Progress towards unravelling our cosmic ancestry

Conference at Cardiff University, Cardiff UK from 5-8 September 2006

The Cosmic Dust and Panspermia Conference at Cardiff University 5,6,7 and 8th September 2006 will mark the retirement of Chandra Wickramasinghe from a Professorship he has held at the University for 33 years. The Astrobiology Research Trust in conjunction with Cardiff University consider it an opportune time to review progress in areas of astronomy that were pioneered by Chandra Wickramasinghe, who is continuing as Director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology. From the time of his first monograph on "Interstellar Dust" in 1968 studies of cosmic dust have assumed a pivotal role throughout astronomy. And the panspermia theory pioneered with the late Sir Fred Hoyle has become mainstream in the new science of astrobiology.

FINAL PROGRAMME

Tuesday 5th September

15.00-18.00 - Arrival and registration at Mathematics Institute
Senghennydd Road

18.00-20.30 - Drinks Reception and Buffet

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Wednesday 6th September

09.30-09.45 Pro-Vice-Chancellor K Woodhouse: Welcome to Cardiff University
09.45-10.00 Klyce B/Wickramasinghe NC - Introduction to conference
10.00-10.30 Simakov M - Two possible stages of chemical evolution of biochemically important compounds on surface of space dust
10.30-11.00 Eales S - Smoking supernovae

11.00-11.30 Coffee

11.30-12.00 Watkins J - The influenza connection
12.00-12.30 Burchell M -- Survival of microbial life in hypervelocity impacts - implications for panspermia
12.30-13.00 Tepfer D - Plant seeds as model vectors for the transfer of life through space

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-14.20 Ramadurai S - Weak interactions and homochirality of living organisms
14.20-14.40 Wallis MK and Wickramasinghe JT - Sub-crustal ponds and lakes in comets
14.40-15.10 Hoover RB - Microfossils in Carbonaceous Meteorites
15.10-15.30 Junge K - Microbial life under cryogenic conditions

15.30-16.00 Tea

16.00-17.00 Klyce B - Scepticism about terrestrial-limited evolution - the evolution prize
+ Panel discussion: Panspermia - what is needed to prove it?

Drinks on a Bay Cruise at 18.15 followed by dinner at 19.30 at a Turkish Restaurant
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Thursday 7th September

09.30-10.00 Shouche YS - Molecular analyses of the microbial diversity associated with Lonar Soda lake, India: An impact crater in a basalt area
10.00-10.30 Levin GV - Life on Mars 30 years after Viking
10.30-11.00 DiGregorio B - Did the Viking Landers find evidence for panspermia?

11.00-11.30 Coffee

11.30-12.00 Wickramasinghe NC - From astrophysics to panspermia
12.00-12.30 Line M - Panspermia remains alive and well
12.30-13.00 Frank S - Maximum number of habitable planets at the time of Earth's origin: new hints for panspermia?

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-14.30 Napier WM - Transmission of life through encounters with nebulae
14.30-15.00 Tate J - Countering the NEO Threat
15.00-15.30 Peiser B - Against consensus: Chandra Wickramasinghe, Fred Hoyle and the rise of NEO-Catastrophism

15.30-16.00 Tea

16.00-16.30 Baillie M - Too many coincidences: ammonium and close comets
16.30-17.00 Campbell AK - Darwin, Hoyle and cosmic evolution
17.00-17.20 Clube V - Newton and climate
17.20-17.40 van Flandern T - The exploded planet hypothesis - 2006
17.40-18.00 Jewett DL - Exploding planets as a mechanism for panspermia

Conference banquet at Cardiff Castle at 19.30
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Friday 8th September

09.30-10.00 Miyake N, Al-Mufti S & Wallis MK - Search for biology in stratospheric samples
10.00-10.30 Louis G - Microbial red rain of Kerala
10.30-11.00 McCafferty P - Red rain and meteors

11.00-11.30 Coffee

11.30-12.00 Coulson S - Equilibrium temperature of porous meteoroids
12.00-12.30 Wainwright M - Differentiating between biological entities (notably bacteria) and inorganic particles in atmospheric samples
12.30-13.00 Temple R -- The prehistory of panspermia: astrophysical or metaphysical?

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-14.30 Cirkovic M - The apparent failure of SETI
14.30-15.00 Panel discussion: societal impact of discovering ET life/intelligence
15.00-15.30 Hoover RB - Conference summary

15.30-16.15 Tea and end of conference

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How to get to Cardiff University

How to book your own accommodation close to conference venue

30 August 2006

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Last updated 15th August 2007