The Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability convenes a Postgraduate module, "Habitability in the Universe", which is run by the Institute for Advance Teaching and Learning. This module is open to all postgraduates, from all disciplines, and covers the subject of habitability from myriad perspectives. More details can be found on the module's home pageLink opens in a new window.

It is our pleasure to welcome Dr Raphaëlle Haywood from the University of Exeter to the Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability seminar series. Dr Haywood will be giving a talk titled 'There’s No Place Like Home: Placing Earth in its Astronomical and Geological Contexts'.

Abstract:
Recent revolutionary discoveries in astronomy are showing that Earth is one of billions of planets, and that terrestrial, temperate planets are commonplace in our galaxy. Geological records indicate that Earth has been many different worlds over time, and life has shown extraordinary resilience through these planetary changes. If we could go to the stars and point our telescopes back at Earth, what would we see? How does life alter Earth's astronomical character? We will look at one of Earth's defining ecosystems: the Amazon rainforest, which is observable from cosmic distances. We will reflect on the impact of various human civilisations. Ultimately, we will draw on these astronomical and geological perspectives to demonstrate that humanity's flourishing is profoundly tied to maintaining this world, here, that we co-evolved with.

As of the 28th of June 2017, the Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability has been established as a University of Warwick Research Centre. Thank you to all members of the CEH who have contributed to our work so far, and who helped to make this a reality.

Dr Tiago de Luca, an assistant professor in Film Studies here at Warwick, is organising a meeting to explore the possibility of setting up a new research group to visualise the ends of the world. The meeting will aim to gather together scholars and postgraduate students from a wide range of disciplines with a view to exploring new approaches and methods regarding the Anthropocene. Given its pressing topicality, the theme is likely to be of interest to a range of disciplines, including: film, television and media studies; social sciences; politics; geography; geology; environmental studies; cultural policy; and many others. The meeting will take the form of an informal discussion over lunch led by the PI.

If you're interested in attending, please contact Dr de Luca (T.de-Luca@warwick.ac.uk) by the 28th of April 2017

The next installment in the CEH seminar series, "Visions of Habitability", will take place on Tuesday 12th April. The speaker will be Hendrik Schäfer from the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences; a period of discussion will follow the presentation.