September 2024
The study of our inner life — the nonphysical essence of humans — takes many forms, and there is a fascinating intersection of astrobiology and consciousness.
At the Astrobiology Center at the University of Arizona, experts from such diverse disciplines as planetary sciences, the arts and the humanities join forces to explore the potential for life on other planets, study extreme environments, and search for life beyond Earth. New tools for detecting life in the universe are also developed at the center.
The astrobiology research has received a vitamin injection and a nudge to broaden its remit. A $1 million donation from former Google software developer Eugene Jhong will support interdisciplinary research on the origins of life and consciousness. Jhong’s philanthropy is focused on the frontiers of science; last year he made a significant donation to advance research on the effects of psychedelics.
It “enables us to bridge two of humanity’s most profound questions: How did life begin, and what does it mean to be conscious?” said Astrobiology Center Director Dante Lauretta. By combining astrobiology and consciousness studies, “We have the opportunity to unravel some of the deepest mysteries of our existence”.
The Center aims to link the deep questions of the human experience with the study of extraterrestrial materials from asteroid Bennu to “bridge the gap between astrobiology and the mysteries of the mind”. Lauretta is one of the principal investigators of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which examines ancient rubble from the surface of Bennu.
Anders Bolling
