Planetary Habitability and Origin of Life
Credit: From "Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032", Figure 13-2, by US National Academies
Context:
By convening leading experts across planetary science, astrobiology, geochemistry, and astronomy, the forum seeks to critically assess where we stand in understanding the emergence of life and what the next breakthroughs might be. In a time defined by major leaps in space exploration—such as missions like Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx, Perseverance, Juno, JUICE, Europa Clipper, and JWST, alongside China's upcoming initiatives like Tianwen III & IV, CHORUS, EarthTwo, CHES, HABITAT, and Miyin—the forum offers a timely platform to chart the future direction of interdisciplinary research.
The event will build on the momentum and outcomes of previous ISSI-Bern and ISSI-Beijing workshops (e.g., the Life Beyond Earth and Toward Detection of Earth-like Planets Forums). Through focused discussions, panels, and synthesis sessions, the forum will explore key research bottlenecks and forge stronger collaborations between disciplines. The cumulative goal is to sharpen the global and Chinese scientific roadmap for unraveling life's origins and expanding the search for habitability beyond Earth.
Objectives:
Date: December 04–05, 2025
Conveners:
|
Sharon Xuesong Wang (Chair) |
Tsinghua University, China; International Space Science Institute - Beijing, China |
| Henderson Jim Cleaves | Howard University; USA; International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, USA |
| Christopher Glein | Southwest Research Institute, USA |
| Jihua Hao | University of Science and Technology, China |
| Yamei Li | Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan |
| Johanna Teske | Carnegie Earth and Planet Laboratory, USA |
| Jun Yang | Peking University, China |
Handbook
Forum Agenda
Participants List
Group Photo
