What is life?

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• Lee Cronin, University of Glasgow; Samir Okasha, University of Bristol; Lewis Dartnell, Space Research Centre, University of Leicester
• Wednesday 04 June 2014, 18:00-21:00
• Cambridge Union Society.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Mary Todd Bergman.

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What is life? is a Science and Society event organised by the European Bioinformatics Institute and held at the Cambridge Union Society. Join us for an evening of talks and lively discussion about the nature of life, with expert speakers on philosophy, chemistry and astrobiology.

The question ‘What is life?’ has long puzzled humankind. We all feel that we have an innate understanding of what makes a living entity. But the exact nature of life, the story of its origins, and its potential presence on other worlds remain enigmatic.

On the 70th anniversary of Nobel prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s seminal book, ‘What is Life?’, we host this Science and Society evening, in which we hope to touch on key themes surrounding the nature of life. We will consider questions such as: What distinguishes life from inert matter? Where did life originally come from? Is life some form of essence – a vital force – or is it encoded information? Is life on Earth unique? Will we be able to eventually create life artificially – and if so, should we?

After three talks from expert speakers in the field, we look forward to exciting discussions on these topics.

This talk is part of the EMBL-EBI Science and Society Programme series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Cambridge Union Society
• EMBL-EBI Science and Society Programme

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