Pascale Ehrenfreund: Prebiotic reservoirs available to the early Earth and Mars

Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at George Washington University and the President of the Committee on Space research (COSPAR).

Pascale EhrenfreundWith a degree in molecular biology, in astrochemistry, as well as in management & leadership, her interest spans a wide multidisciplinary area, with important contributions to the scientific literature in - among many fields - astrobiology, prebiotic chemistry, and organic molecules in the interstellar medium, comets and meteorites. Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator and Team leader on several space missions as well as experiments in low Earth orbit.

Abstract: One of the most compelling questions in planetary science revolves around the origins of life on Earth and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Key environments conducive to the formation of organic molecules, crucial in the genesis of life, include deep-sea hydrothermal vents, volcanic regions, and primordial oceans. Additionally, the early Earth's chemical raw material may have been enriched by small Solar System bodies that deposited carbon-rich molecules and volatile compounds onto the young planets.

Recent space missions focused on comets and asteroids have markedly enriched our understanding of the prebiotic materials available to the early Earth and Mars. This enhanced comprehension of Earth's primordial biochemical conditions assists in the identification of similar environments on Mars, furthering our quest to unravel the mysteries of life beyond our planet.