Abstract
A conference on Life in the Universe, organized by the Council of Europe, and held in Paris, November 19 to 21, 1979, brought together more than 100 scientists from different fields. The aim of this conference was to promote scientific cooperation in Europe, in conjunction with other countries, in fields related to the problem of Life in the Universe. Our knowledge concerning this problem was reviewed in three different sessions. The first session was devoted to the question of planetary evolution; the second session was devoted to the question of the origin and evolution of life, and the third session was devoted to the problem of evolution of intelligence and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
The Drake formula was the keynote of the conference. Each session tried to estimate some of the parameters of this formula, in order to examine the question: how many extraterrestrial civilizations with a level of technology at least equal to ours may be present in the universe? Even if no definite answer is given to this question, this meeting pointed out the need for more research.
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(Ed. Note. It is not the general editorial policy of the journal to publish conference and meeting reports. On occasion, the substance and discussions of a particular conference have such wide-ranging implications or touch so many concerns in the study of the origin and evolution of life, the editor will decide to make an exception to the general policy. This particular conference is one of those exceptions.)
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Raulin, F. Life in the Universe Paris, November 19–21, 1979. Origins Life Evol Biosphere 10, 371–377 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00928310
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00928310