Title: Life Detection Technology: For Mars, Enceladus and Beyond
ELSI Conveners:
Chaitanya Giri - EON Research Fellow
Jim Cleaves - EON Director
Tomohiro Usui - Associate Principal Investigator
Tony Jia - Research Scientist
Yuka Fujii - Project Associate Professor
Keiko Hamano - Research Scientist
Hidenori Genda - Associate Principal Investigator
Tomohiro Mochizuki - Research Scientist
Premise of the Workshop:
The trans-disciplinary field of astrobiology ambitions to determine whether life exists beyond Earth. This astrobiological quest is extremely crucial for comprehending the intricate processes occurring on the early Earth that led to the origin of carbon-based life. Organic and potentially prebiotic molecules have been identified on numerous Solar System objects. But, none of these identified molecules, nor the identifying instruments can as yet determine the presence of life.
The Earth Life Science Institute (ELSI) is a hub bridging experimental and theoretical approaches to astrobiology and origin of life. The objective of this ELSI workshop is to deliberate on the advances, demands, and strategies for constructing and operating applicable 'life detection' technologies to be used on Mars, Enceladus, and other potentially habitable objects, which are targeted for exploration in the first-half of the 21st century.