Press Releases 2001

Life in the Universe - Is there anybody out there? [1]

The Universe is indescribably huge. Can it be possible that Humanity is the only form of intelligent life which exists in all this immensity? Are we really alone ?

Throughout history there have been sightings of creatures from elsewhere. Science fiction novels and films with flying saucers and bizarre looking aliens are part of our general culture. Perhaps the Earth is really only an experiment designed by mice and soon we will all be destroyed to make way for a new interstellar highway !

The possibility that there is life in the Universe has always excited the general public and scientists are equally enthusiastic. Physicists, biologists, chemists, cosmologists, astronomers are researching all over Europe to try to answer this age-old question : Is there life in the Universe ?

Our current understanding

What is our understanding at the beginning of the 21st century? Is there any scientific evidence for other forms of life? How can you define life? What signs are they looking for? What would the reaction be if other forms of life were discovered?

The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) , the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) , in cooperation with the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) have organised a competition to find out what the young people in Europe think. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) are also associated with the programme.

The "Life in the Universe" programme

ESO PR Video Clip 05/01
(13300 frames/8:52 min)
[MPEG Video+Audio; 192x144 pix; 12.1Mb]
[RealMedia; streaming; 56kps]

ESO Video Clip 05/01 is a trailer for the Europe-wide "Life in the Universe" programme. It touches upon some of the main issues and includes statements by members of the Experts' Panel.

The "Life in the Universe" programme is being mounted in collaboration with the research directorate of the European Commission for the "European Week of Science and Technology" in November 2001.

Competitions are already underway in 23 European countries [2] to find the best projects from school students between 14 and 18. The projects can be scientific or a piece of art, a theatrical performance, poetry or even a musical performance. The only restriction is that the final work must be based on scientific evidence.

Two winning teams from each country will be invited to a final event at CERN's headquarters, in Geneva on 8-11 November, 2001 to present their projects to a panel of International Experts at a special three day event devoted to understanding the possibility of other life forms existing in our Universe. This final event will be broadcast all over the world via the Internet.

The website

The home base of the 'Life in the Universe" project is a vibrant web space

where details of the programme can be found. It is still under development but already has a wealth of information and links to the national websites, where all entries are posted.

Is there other life in the Universe? We do not know - but the search is on!

To find out what is happening for "Life in the Universe" in each country, contact the National Steering Committees !

Notes

[1] This is a joint Press Release by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) , the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). These European intergovernmental research organisations organised the highly successful Physics On Stage programme during the European Week of Science and Technology in 2000.

[2] The 23 countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

CERN , the European Organization for Nuclear Research , has its headquarters in Geneva. At present, its Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Israel, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Turkey, the European Commission and UNESCO have observer status.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international/intergovernmental organisation made of 15 member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. ESA provides and promotes, for peaceful purposes only, cooperation among its member states in space research, technology and their applications. With ESA, Europe shapes and shares space for people, companies and the scientific community.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is an intergovernmental organisation supported by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. ESO is a major driving force in European astronomy, performing tasks that are beyond the capabilities of the individual member countries. The ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile) is one of the largest and best-equipped in the world. Of ESO's Very Large Telescope Array (VLT) at Cerro Paranal (Chile), the four 8.2-m telescopes, ANTU, KUEYEN, MELIPAL and YEPUN are already in operation; the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) follows next.

Useful "Life in the Universe" addresses

"Life in the Universe" main website: http://www.lifeinuniverse.org

"Life in the Universe" website at ESO: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eduoff/liu/

International Steering Committee (ISC)
Monica de Pasquale (Executive Coordinator)
CERN
CH-1211 Geneva 23
Switzerland

email: monica.de.pasquale@cern.ch
Telephone: +41-22-7677794
Fax: +41-22-7850247

National Steering Committees (NSC) (current status)  

Austria

Christian Gottfried
Theobaldgasse 16/13
A-1060 Wien
Austria
Tel: +43.1.587.46.02
Fax: +43.1.586.20.90
e-mail: christian.gottfried@cern.ch

Bulgaria

Veselka Radeva
Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium
PO Box 120
Varna
Bulgaria
E-Mail: radevi@mail.varna.techno.link.com

Denmark

Anne Vaernholt Olesen
Tycho Brahe Planetarium
Gammel Kongevej 10
DK-1610 Copenhagen V
Denmark
E-Mail: Anne_O@tycho.dk

Estonia

Kertu Saks
Tallinn Technology and Science Centre Energy
Pohja Blvd. 29
Tallinn 10415
Estonia
E-Mail: kertu.saks@energia.ee

Finland

Lauri Kervonen
National Board of Education
PL380
Hakaniemenkatu 2
FIN-00531 Helsinki
Finland
E-Mail: Lauri.kervonen@oph.fi

France

Bernard Pellequer
Geospace Observatoire d'Aniane
Institut de Botanique
163 rue Auguste Broussonet
F-34090 Montpellier
E-Mail: bernard.pellequer@geospace-online.com

Germany

Elisabeth Lahr-Nilles
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie
Auf dem Huegel 69
D-53121 Bonn
Germany
E-Mail: elahr@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de

Greece

Margarita Metaxa
63, Ethnikis Antistaseos
GR-15231 Athens
Greece
E-Mail: mmetaxa@compulink.gr

Ireland

Kevin Nolan
School of Applied Science
Institute of Technology
Tallaght, Dublin 24
Ireland
E-Mail: knolan@seti.it-tallaght.ie

Italy

Cristina Palici di Suni
Via Giulia di Barolo 3
Torino
Italy
E-Mail: palici@aerre.it

Luxembourg

Fernand Wagner
Laboratoire de Physique
Lycée de Garcons d'Esch
Boite Postale 195
L-4002 Esch/Alzette
Luxembourg
E-Mail: fernand.wagner@educ.lu

The Netherlands

Gert Schooten
Holtmate 14
NL-8014 HA Zwolle
Netherlands
E-Mail: gertschooten@wish.net

Poland

Barbara Popielawska
Space Research Center, P.A.N.
ul. Bartycka 18a
PL-00 716 Warszawa
Poland
E-Mail: bpop@cbk.waw.pl

Portugal

Felisbela Martins
ASTRO - Apartado 52503 Amial
P-4202 301 Porto
Portugal
E-mail: Felisbela.Martins@ip.pt

Romania

Magda Stavinschi
Str. Cutitul de Argint
RO-75212 Bucharest
Romania
E-Mail: magda@roastro.astro.ro

Sloval Republic

Dalibor Krupa
Slovak Academy of Sciences
Stefanikova 49
SK-814 38 Bratislava
Slovakia
E-Mail: fyzikrup@savba.sk

Spain

Rosa de Ros
Dept. Applied Mathematics IV
Technical University of Catalonia
Jordi Girona 1-3, modul C3
Barcelona
Spain
E-Mail: ros@mat.upc.es

Sweden

Björn Lingons
Mediecenter Stockholm
Box 10432
S-10432 Stockholm
Sweden
E-Mail: bjlin@avc.edu.stockholm.se

Switzerland

Michael Reichen
Gymnase de Nyon
Route de Divonne 8
Case Postale
CH-1260 Nyon 2
Switzerland
E-Mail: michael.reichen@freesurf.ch

United Kingdom

Alan Pickwick
19 Egdale Grove
Sale
Cheshire M33 4RG
United Kingdom
E-Mail: Alan_C_Pickwick@compuserve.com

Life in the Universe : Experts' Panel  

• Ricardo Amils,
  Centro de Biología Molecular (CBM), Madrid, Spain
• Willy Benz,
  Universität Bern, Switzerland
• Roger Bonnet,
  ESA Headquarters, Paris, France
• Athéna Coustenis,
  Observatoire de Meudon, France
• Pascale Ehrenfreund,
  Leiden Observatory, The Netherlands
• John Ellis,
  CERN, Geneva, France
• Monica Grady,
  Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
• Maurice Jacob,
  CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
• Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd,
  CNRS, Paris, France
• Michel Mayor,
  Geneva Observatory, Switzerland
• Juan Perez Mercader,
  Centro de Astrobiología, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
• Ian Morison,
  Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield, United Kingdom
• Hubert Reeves,
  Centre Nationale De La Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
• Peter Schuster,
  Vienna, Austria
• Tilman Spohn,
  Institut für Planetologie, Münster, Germany
• John Zarnecki,
  Milton Keynes, United Kingdom