The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society

Editors: Martin Dominik and John C. Zarnecki

Observing the pinpoints of light on the night sky has probably ever inspired humans to speculate about the existence of other worlds, but still, in the vastness of the Universe, we know only one place that teems with life - Earth. If our home planet is not unique in the cosmos, but life happens to be common and universal, it is living generations that for the first time in history are given a realistic chance to see signatures of extra-terrestrial life being detected. The study and understanding of life in the Universe encompasses many, if not all, of the fundamental questions in biology, physics, and chemistry, but also in philosophy, psychology, religion and the way in which humans interact with their environment and each other. Whilst there is no way of predicting the outcomes of searches for extra-terrestrial life and we cannot be prepared for the unpredictable, the careful development of a societal agenda alongside a scientific agenda becomes mandatory.

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