Astrobiology and the Relation of Fundamental Physics to Life

Abstract

How did the laws of physics made it possible that life evolved? How did intelligent life evolve? How come that human beings are here on Earth today? Are we unique, or are we just one of many intelligent species populating the Universe? It is likely that in the vastness of the Universe we humans do not stand alone. Recent surveys have detected thousands of extrasolar planets, many within the circumstellar habitable zones of their host stars and consistent with rocky compositions and likely to contain secondary, volcanically outgassed atmospheres. In the near future we might be within reach of other forms of life and maybe of other civilizations; we must understand how to identify them, and, if possible, how to communicate with them. At the basis of all this is understanding what is life, and how it emerged on Earth and maybe elsewhere. The answer to these questions is written in the language of physics.