A Helmholtz Alliance has been established in 2008 to study the interactions between life and the evolution of terrestrial planets. The approach goes beyond current studies in Earth-System Sciences by
• including the entire planet from the atmosphere to the deep interior,
• going beyond Earth to include other Earth-like planets such as Mars and Venus and satellites in the solar system where ecosystems may exist underneath thick ice shells,
• considering other solar systems and their planets.
The Alliance and its partners were funded through a Helmholtz grant until the end of 2013. The main partners of the Alliance in Germany included Berlin Universities and Max-Planck Institutes. Internationally, the Space Research Institute in Graz, the Nice Observatory, and Yale University in New Haven were major partners. The Alliance is an affiliate member of the NASA astrobiology institute, has included about 100 scientists and has published 630 peer reviewed papers. The Alliance is presently re-orienting itself to partner with international research networks and institutes with similar topics. Among them is the Planet Topers Network in Belgium and the Swiss Center for Space and Habitability.
I will present some of the highlights of the research of the Alliance including a model for the interaction between life, the Earth mantle volatile budget and continental growth. A discussion about possible collaboration with ELSI is very welcome.