Are We All There Is? Astrobiology in Culture

This presentation will address public interest in, opinions about, and interpretations of scientific studies of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, including the rise and fall and resurrection of the scientific search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligent life. Astrobiology’s attention to the cultural dimensions of scientific research - societal, ethical, philosophical - will be covered. Depictions of astrobiology in scientific culture and in popular culture will be compared and contrasted, and interactions between scientific and popular culture with regard to astrobiology will be considered.