On the heels of the recent seminar with retired NASA astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly at the University of Arkansas, several students and faculty members headed west to the biennial Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) held in Mesa, Arizona from April 24-28. 

The central theme for AbSciCon 2017 was "Diverse Life and Its Detection on Different Worlds." As more possibilities for habitable worlds or "exoplanets" emerge, there has been a shift in emphasis from the question of "whether there are planets in the universe on which life could survive" to "how can we detect such life," which generated opportunities for a host of interesting discussions ranging from "Messy Chemistry" to "Alternative Forms of Life."

Major topics also included planetary protections, origins of life, anoxygenic photosynthesis, and the habitability of oceans, worlds and Mars.

The U of A Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences (SPAC) was well represented at the conference with students from the labs of Tim Kral, Michael Ceballos, Dan Lessner and Vicent Chevrier in attendance. 

In addition, several U of A alumni were in attendance including Edgar Rivera-Valentin (SPAC; class of 2012). Also in attendance was Nagayasu Nakanishi, an incoming assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, who begins his appointment this fall semester 2017. 

In total, more than 10 students and alumni as well as three U of A professors took part in AbSciCon 2017, one of the largest contingencies from any single academic institution.