The COST Action "Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth and in the Universe": An interdisciplinary research, training and outreach effort

• Main Authors: Gargaud, M., Geppert, Wolf, Brucato, John, Chatzitheorides, Elias, Dunér, David, Hrušák, Ján, Javaux, Emmanuelle, Kanuchova, Zuzana, Kee, Terence, P, Kereszturi, Akos, Lopez-Garcia, Purificación, Losiak, Anna, Malatere, Christophe, Mason, Nigel, Motlep, Riho, Noack, Lena, Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga, Szuszkiewicz, Ewa, Loes ten Kate, Inge, Žabka, Ján
• Other Authors: ECLIPSE 2018, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux Pessac (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the ASCR, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague (CAS), Laboratoire de Paléobotanique, Paléopalynologie et Micropaléontologie (LPPM), Université de Liège, School of Chemistry Leeds, University of Leeds, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE), Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centro de Astrobiologia Madrid (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas = Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales Paris (CNES)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01898130

International audience The COST Action "Origins of Life on Earth and in the Universe" (2014-2018) is a multidisciplinary network involving around 170 researchers (many of them early career investigators) from 30 European countries. Research activities are coordinated by five working groups: • Understanding the formation and evolution of planetary systems and habitable planets • Searching for the origins of the building blocks of Life • Tracing the origin of life on Earth and finding its limits • Detecting life on other planets and its satellites • History and philosophy of science. Also, two teams: "Education and Training" and "Outreach and Dissemination" existed. Efforts of the Working Groups resulted in numerous peer-reviewed papers of which many were a direct result of >80 short term scientific missions funded by the Action. The bridging between natural sciences and humanities initiated by WG5 led to an international conference, a summer school and a White paper entitled "Astrobiology and Society in Europe Today". The Action has organised four major international conferences: "Habitability in the Universe: From the Early Earth to Exoplanets", Porto(PT), 2015 "From star and planet formation to early Life", Vilnius(LT), 2016, "Early Earth and exo-Earths: origin and evolution of life", Warsaw (PL), 2017 "Life on Earth and beyond: emergence, survivability and impact on the environment", Bertinoro(IT), 2018 Between these events, thematic workshops were held: "Missions to Habitable Worlds", Budapest(HU), 2015 "Evolution of chemical complexity", Liblice(CZ), 2016 EGU Galileo Conference "Geosciences for the Understanding of Habitability in the Solar System and Beyond", Azores(PT), 2017 Altogether, eight interdisciplinary training schools were organised by the action and mostly held at geologically interesting sites (Iceland, Karelia, Saaremaa, Azores, La Palma). They involved "real science" field work and attracted many early career researchers from different countries. The events received excellent feedback ...