Little Green…Molecules? What the Chemistry of Space Can Tell us About Life in the Universe

media release: UW Space Place presentation.

Molecules make up the world around us and serve as the building blocks to life as we know it on Earth.  The questions remain as to how these molecules form and are incorporated into planets, and whether life might form elsewhere in the universe.  Astrochemists study the chemistry of space and the evolution of molecules as stars and planets form.  This talk will overview our astrochemistry research program that incorporates laboratory spectroscopy, observational astronomy, and astrochemical modeling to decipher the chemistry that might lead to life in the universe.

Speaker: Susanna L. Widicus Weaver, Vozza Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy, UW-Madison