"Hello, is anyone there?": Searching for life in the universe (Dutch)

Could there still be life somewhere in the universe or are we the only ones? This is a question many people ask themselves. If there is life elsewhere, what might it look like? Like the Martians in cartoon characters with antennae instead of ears, or perhaps quite different: for example, giant floating balls of slime, or perhaps much crazier. We just don’t know. Yet from the origin of life on Earth we can already learn a lot about the necessary conditions for life-and not just earth-like life! Life forms have been found on Earth that are quite extraordinary and that show that even under extreme conditions life can develop. How about applying this knowledge to planets?

In recent years, it has become possible to use very special instruments to search for planets near other stars, so-called exoplanets. More than five thousand of these have now been discovered! This suggests that planets orbit around most stars. Then there are a hundred billion exoplanets in our galaxy alone!

Some of the discovered planets are in the “life zone” of their star: not too close and not too far away so there could be water, and then there could be life. Developments are happening at lightning speed. It is now even possible to examine the composition of the atmosphere of exoplanets to see if there is any sign of life. In the process, the James Webb and ALMA telescopes have discovered water in the atmospheres of exoplanets.

Prof. Lamers will show in an understandable way and with many beautiful images what we know about the origin of life on Earth and tell about the searches for exoplanets and life in the universe. The latest discoveries will also be discussed.