Öffentlicher Vortrag
The exoplanet revolution and life in the Universe
Tuesday 25 August 2026, EPFL, Centre Est, Room CE 1 6
This year we have scheduled a public lecture by Prof. Didier Queloz, ETH Zürich, Nobel Laureate 2019. He is director of the newly founded NCCR Genesis. Its purpose is to establish an ambitious and innovative collaboration across different fields of science in Switzerland, with the common goal of answering some of humanity’s most profound scientific questions: How did life emerge on Earth? Is the universe full of life? In the last decade these profound questions have evolved from a vague, often speculative, debate into a practical research agenda that has galvanised researchers from different disciplines and research agencies.
The talk will be followed by a panel discussion delving into the topic.
Public Lecture 18:30 - 19:15 | The exoplanet revolution and life in the Universe Didier Queloz, ETH Zürich The diversity and prolific number of planets discovered have revolutionised our conception of the nature and history of planet formation. They have opened up the idea of the possible rarity of planetary systems similar to our own, but also exciting prospects for the potential to probe the atmospheres of planets in search of traces of life. We are living in a historic moment that brings us closer to exploring life in the universe and understanding the origins of life on Earth. The talk will present an outlook of this landscape and will discuss the implications of these recent findings. New insights about the origins of life will be presented in the light of recent experiments about a possible origin of pre-biotic chemical building blocks as well as a possible long-range pathway for detecting Earth-like systems amenable for remote study of life. |
Panel Discussion 19:15 - 20:15 | Panelists: Didier Queloz, ETH Zürich (Astronomer) Johanna Carbonne, Université de Lausanne (Geologist) Nicolas Winssinger, Université de Genève (Biochemist) Moderation: Olivier Dessibourg |
Both talk and discussion can be visited free of charge, no registration needed.