Astrobiology Workshop, Macquarie University
Wednesday July 11th
5:00pm Registration in the foyer of the Macquarie Theatre
6:30pm Public lecture by Prof. Paul Davies
"Did life come from Mars?"
in the Macquarie Theatre
(in conjunction with the Australian Museum Society)
7:45pm Reception hosted by the Vice Chancellor of Macquarie University , Prof. Di Yerbury
to mark the establishment of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology and its affiliate membership of the NASA Astrobiology Institute
Function room in building E11A
Thursday July 12th
8:00am Registration continues in the foyer outside E6A 102
9:00—5:30 Workshop science sessions – E6A 102
5:30pm Drinks and poster viewing – foyer outside E6A 102
7:00pm Workshop Dinner in the Stamford Hotel
After dinner speaker: Fred Watson
Friday July 13th
9:00—5:00 Workshop science sessions continue – E6A 102
Thursday July 12
9:00—9:05 Opening remarks
9:05—9:35 Charles Lineweaver (UNSW)
When are we? When are they?: The age distribution of earth-like planets in the universe (abstract)
9:35—10:05 Ross Taylor (ANU)
Earth-like planets: common or rare in the universe (abstract)
10:05—10:20 Sarah Maddison (Swinburne Univ.)
Trying to explain the new extrasolar planets (abstract)
10:20—10:35 John Greenhill (Univ. of Tasmania)
Using gravitational microlensing to search for solar-system like planets (abstract)
10:35—10:50 Tim Bedding (Univ. of Sydney)
Detecting extrasolar planets with a small space telescope (abstract)
***** Coffee *****
11:15—11:45 Victoria Meadows (JPL)
The Virtual Planetary Laboratory – A new research project to define extrasolar biosignatures (abstract)
11:45—12:15 Jeremy Bailey (AAO)
Molecular handedness and the origin of life (abstract)
12:15—12:45 Anthony Poole (Massey University)
The RNA world and the origin of prokaryotes and eukaryotes (abstract)
***** Lunch *****
1:45—2:15 David Saul (Univ. of Auckland)
Rebuilding ancient genes to study the last common ancestor (abstract)
2:15—2:45 Malcolm Walter (Macquarie Univ.)
The anatomy of an ancient hydrothermal system (abstract)
2:45—3:15 Roger Summons (AGSO)
Exploring the limits of the microbial world using biogeochemical signatures (abstract)
3:15—3:30 Kathleen Grey (GSWA)
Did the c.580Ma Acraman impact event trigger terminal Proterozoic biodiversification? (abstract)
***** Coffee *****
4:00—4:15 Matilda Thomas (Macquarie Univ.)
Hyperspectral analysis of a hydrothermal system at Mount Painter, Flinders Ranges (and application to Martian analogues) (abstract)
4:15—4:30 Ricardo Amils (Centro de Astrobiologia, Madrid)
Astrobiological interest of iron chemolithotrophy (abstract)
4:30—4:45 Kala Perkins (Univ. of Sydney)
A brief history of SETI (abstract)
4:45—5:15 Carol Oliver (Univ. of Western Sydney)
Astrobiologists and journalists: closing the communication gap (abstract)
5:15—5:30 Krisstina Wilmoth (NASA Ames Research Center)
Education and public outreach: the next generation of astrobiologists (abstract)
Friday July 13
9:00—9:30 Rick Cavicchioli (UNSW)
Extremophiles: the bungy jumpers of the microbial world (abstract)
9:30—10:00 Hugh Morgan (Univ. of Waikato)
Metabolic diversity in hyperthermophiles and implications for the origin of life (abstract)
10:00—10:15 David Musgrave (Univ. of Waikato)
Genome packaging and the response to environmental stress in hyperthermophilic archaea (abstract)
10:15—10:30 Graham Logan (AGSO)
Comparison of laser microprobe — two step desorption/laser ionization mass spectrometry with GCMS of terrestrial and extraterrestrial rocks (abstract)
***** Coffee *****
11:00—11:30 Philippa Uwins (Univ. of Queensland)
Novel nano-organisms (Nanobes): living analogues for Martian ‘nannobacteria’? (abstract)
11:30—12:00 Everett Gibson (NASA Johnson Space Center)
Martian life: Evidence from Martian meteorites (abstract)
12:00—12:30 Stephen Hyde (ANU)
Biological vs. inorganic morphologies …. Some comparisons (abstract)
12:30—12:45 Andrew Christy (ANU)
Nanostructure of inorganic biomorphs (abstract)
***** Lunch *****
1:45—2:05 Rosalind Grymes (NASA Astrobiology Institute)
The NASA Astrobiology Institute (abstract)
2:05—2:35 Juan Perez-Mercader (Centro de Astrobiologia, Madrid)
Science at the Centro de Astrobiologia: searching for a bridge between the big-bang and biology (abstract)
2:35—2:50 Nick Hoffman (La Trobe Univ.)
Life on a CO2 dominated Mars (abstract)
2:50—3:05 Michael Burton (UNSW)
Ecosystems, from life to planets to the galaxy (abstract)
***** Coffee *****
3:30—3:45 Peter Wilson (Univ. of Sydney)
Is there a physical basis for the anthropic principle (abstract)
3:45—4:15 Ragbir Bhathal (Univ. of Western Sydney)
40 years of SETI (abstract)
4:15—4:45 Everett Gibson (NASA Johnson Space Center)
Beagle 2: The next exobiology mission to Mars (abstract)
4:45—5:00 Gary Luckman (Australian Space Research Institute)
Microbial delivery into extrasolar planetary biospheres (terraforming) (abstract)
Poster papers
Posters will be on display throughout the meeting and there will be opportunities to view them during the coffee and lunch breaks and after the last session on Thursday.
Paul Martin (Univ. Southern Queensland)
Tolerance of microbes to simulated space conditions (abstract)
Brett Neilan (UNSW)
A molecular phylogeny of culturable and non-culturable prokaryotes from Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay (abstract)
Jeremy Bailey (AAO)
Detecting extrasolar planets by polarization (abstract)
Gregory Webb (Queensland Univ, of Technology)
Rocks that grow: searching for biotic signatures in rocks produced by microbes (abstract)
Ron Ronimus (Univ. of Waikato)
Characterization of a family B ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase activity from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeal Aeropyrum pernix: implications for the evolution of metabolism (abstract)
Marton Hidas (UNSW)
A search for extra-solar planets using the Automated Patrol Telescope (abstract)
David Fernandez-Remolar (Centro de Astrobiolgia)
The Tinto river geomicrobial system: a valid analogue for the Archean BIF’s (abstract)
Michael Paine (Planetary Society Australian Volunteers)
Estimated flux of rocks bearing viable lifeforms exchanged between Earth and Mars (abstract)
Thomas L. Kieft (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology)
Archaeal and bacterial diversity in a moderately acidic thermal spring (abstract)
Thomas L. Kieft (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology)
Mission to Early Earth: Sample integrity and geohydrology (abstract)
Roberto Anitori (Macquarie University)
Radon-tolerant microbes from Paralana thermal spring, South Australia (abstract)
Graeme White (Univ. of Western Sydney)
A planet in the Alpha Centauri system (abstract)
Maria Hunt (UNSW)
Prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium (abstract)
Ariel Anbar (Univ. of Rochester)
Fractionations of Fe and Mo isotopes: measurements and models (abstract)
Yanan Shen (Harvard University)
Middle Proterozoic ocean chemistry: evidence from the McArthur basin, northern Australia (abstract)
Miryam Glickson and Suzanne Golding (University of Queensland)
Bacterial remains in Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic sedimentary rocks (abstract)
Frank Stootman (Univ. of Western Sydney)
The Southern SERENDIP project at the National Museum (abstract)
(includes computer demonstration)
Nick Hoffman (La Trobe University)
The Moon and Plate Tectonics: Why we are alone (abstract)
Nick Hoffman (La Trobe University)
White Mars: The story of the red planet without water (abstract)
Chris Tinney (Anglo-Australian Observatory)
The Anglo-Australian Planet Search