Description: Preface. Group Photograph. A Few Words of Welcome. General overview. Contemporary Radio Searches for Extraterrestrial Intelligence; F. Drake. Section 1: Introduction to Astrobiology. Origins: From the Big-Bang to Civilisation; J. Chela-Flores. Detectability of intelligent life in the universe: A search based in our knowledge of the laws of nature; G.A. Lemarchand. Cosmos and cosmology; H. Rago. New developments in astronomy relevant to astrobiology; S. Sofia. Section 2: Chemical Evolution. Cosmochemical evolution and the origin of life on Earth; J. Oró. Chemical evolution in the early Earth; A. Negrón-Mendoza, S. Ramos-Bernal. Nitrogen fixation in planetary environments: A comparison between mildly reducing and neutral atmospheres; R. Navarro-González. Section 3: Biological bases for the Study of the Evolution of Life in the Universe. Darwinian dynamics and biogenesis; J.A. Leon. Evolution of adaptive systems; H.J. Dopazo. Contemporary controversies within the framework of the revolutionary theory; A. Massarini. Molecular Biology and the reconstruction of microbial phylogenies: des liaisons dangereuses? A. Becerra, et al. Section 4: Study of Life in the Solar System. Astrobiology and the ESA Science Programme; W. Wamsteker, A. Chicarro. The chemical composition of comets; H. Campins. Section 5: Origins of cognitive systems. Information, life and brains; J.G. Roederer. The origin of the neuron: The first neuron in the phylogenetic tree of life; R. Villegas, et al. Origin of Synapses: A Scientific account or the story of a hypothesis; E. Palacios-Prü. Origins of languages: The evolution of human speech; M.E. Medina-Callarotti.Section 6: Philosophical implications of the search for extraterrestrial life. Astrophysics and Meta-Technics; E.M. Vallenilla. Deeper Questions: The search for darwinian evolution in our solar system; J. Chela-Flores. Section 7: Round-table. Report on the round-table 'Music of the spheres'; J.G. Roederer. Section 8: Contributions from participants. Ultimate paradoxes of time travel; G. Romero, D.F. Torres. Do wormholes exist? D. Torres, G. Romero. Heterogeneous radiolysis of succinic acid in the presence of sodium-montmorillonite. Implications to prebiotic chemistry; M.Colín-Garcia, et al. Condensed matter surfaces in prebiotic chemistry; S. Ramos-Bernal, A. Negrón-Mendoza. Irradiation of adenine adsorbed in Na-Montmorillonite. Implications to chemical evolution studies; A. Guzman-Marmolejo, et al. Accumulation of alkanes n-C18 on the early Earth; V. Marcano, et al. Advantages of the alkanes n-C18 as protectors for the synthesis and survival of critical biomolecules in the early Earth; V. Marcano, et al. Evidence of a nitrogen deficiency as a selective pressure towards the origin of biological nitrogen fixation in the early Earth; L. Calva-Alejo, et al. RNA-binding peptides as early molecular fossils; L.J. Delaye, A. Lazcano. On the role of genome duplications in the evolution of prokaryotic chromosomes; S. Islas, et al. Experimental simulation of volcanic lightning on early Mars; A. Segura, R. Navarro-González. Tropical Alpine environments: A plausible analog for ancient and future life on Mars; I. Pérez-Chávez, et al. Planetary habitable zones on Earth and Mars: Biophysical limits of life in planetry environments;

Please Wait