Klara joined the Action!

Posted on March 30, 2015February 18, 2017 Posted in newsTagged anthropology, astrobiology, COST Action TD1308 Origins, European science, history of science, origins, philosophy of scienceLeave a comment

Life-ORIGINS (TD1308) is a Trans Domain European COST Action investigating the origins and evolution of life. Life-ORIGINS is dedicated to the scientific investigation of the origins and evolution of life on Earth and habitability of other planets.

The objective of Working Group 5 (WG5) History and Philosophy of Sciences is to assess, from a philosophical perspective, of how the boundaries between chemistry and biology are being transformed as a result of a shift towards increasingly systemic or holistic approaches in the quest for a naturalist explanation of the origin of life.

The Action has specifically excluded the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life in its portfolio. Creationist theorems are also outside the Action’s remit.

BBC 2 Portillo’s State Secrets

Posted on March 26, 2015January 30, 2017 Posted in documentaries, media appearancesTagged anthropology of outerspace, bbc, extraterrestrial life, Portillo's State SecretsLeave a comment

Dr. Klara Anna Capova, social anthropologist working in science & technology studies, anthropology of outerspace, and the founder of Space Cultures, will be talking about social dimension of space exploration and search for life beyond earth tonight at 6:30 pm, BBC Two, in Portillo’s State Secrets.

According to the official BBC Two Portillo’s State Secrets website, in this episode Mysteries, Michael Portillo unearths documents from the National Archives revealing the original letter that gave birth to Jack the Ripper, the mysterious disappearance of a wartime hero and the secret UFO files kept by the Ministry of Defence.

Watch Portillo’s State Secrets episode Mysteries live tonight on BBC Two.

Habitability in the Universe Conference in Porto

Posted on March 25, 2015January 30, 2017 Posted in research, talksTagged anthropology, astrobiology, COST Action TD1308 Origins, public perception of science, space culturesLeave a comment

Just delivered a talk on Astrobiology in the Age of Social Media: The ‘science of the unknown’ and the sociocultural dimension of transformative ideas to the participants of Habitability in the Universe: From the Early Earth to Exoplanets conference in Porto, Portugal.

It’s a priviledge to be here. This conference is the first Conference and WGPP (Working Group and Project Planning) meeting of the TD1308 COST action ORIGINS.

According to the website, this European action gather 30 countries and 150 scientists working in astrophysics, astrochemistry, planetology, geochemistry, biology, paleontology, space science, engineering, philosophy and history of science. And, if I may add, also in anthropology or social studies of science.

The action addresses three basic questions that fascinate scientists and the general public:

Where, when and how did life emerge and evolve on Earth?
What are the conditions under which life can exist?
Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe and, if it does, how can it be detected and identified?The action has specifically excluded the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life in its portfolio

Klara on BBC World News

Posted on February 15, 2015February 18, 2017 Posted in media appearancesTagged bbc, extraterrestrial life, life beyond earth, messaging, setiLeave a comment

On Friday the 13th at 9:30am I received an email from BBC World News TV, the international rolling news channel in London, asking me to come into the studio at about 12 to talk about SETI’s initiative to send messages to any extraterrestrials who may exist in the universe. The photo below illustrates what has happened:
klara-anna-capova-anthropology-bbc-world-news

Should we stay or should we go …. to Mars?

Posted on February 4, 2015February 18, 2017 Posted in talksTagged mars, space exploitation, space exploration, space settlements, space travelLeave a comment

I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut ever since I was in first grade. I’ve always wanted to have the same view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon.

Yet, in the debate held at the Durham Union Society on Friday the 13th February 2015 I spoke against the motion “This House (as a student) would go to Mars.”

I belive that there are more aspects to be carefully thought through before ‘we’ make this step and send human beings on a one way trip to the red planet. My major concerns were not only related to unpredictable risks (technological, psychological, medical ..) but mainly to the commercial nature of Mars One enterprise.

Any thoughts …?

P.S.: Also, I think there is a thin red line between space exploration and space exploitation.

Klara’s Talk at a SETI Workshop

Posted on December 3, 2014February 18, 2017 Posted in seti, talks, videosTagged anthropology of outerspace, anthropology of science, extraterrestrial intellingence, interstellar messages, universal languageLeave a comment

Would humans be able to decode information-rich signals from another planet? Could we create a “universal language” that would be meaningful to an independently evolved civilization? To help answer these questions, on November 10-11 the SETI Institute will convene a multidisciplinary, international workshop at its headquarters in Mountain View, California. Speakers from six countries will draw on disciplines ranging from astronomy and mathematics, to anthropology and linguistics, as they debate the best ways to create meaningful messages. While the two-day workshop is closed to the public, all talks will later be posted on the SETI Institute’s Youtube channel.

SETI Institute: Communicating Across the Cosmos Final Summary

Posted on December 1, 2014February 18, 2017 Posted in talks, videosTagged anthropology of outerspace, extraterrestrial intellingence, interstellar messages, seti, universal languageLeave a comment

For over a half century, astronomers involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) have scanned the skies for signals from distant civilizations. Would humans be able to decode information-rich signals from another planet? Could we create a “universal language” that would be meaningful to an independently evolved civilization.

iWhile the two-day workshop was closed to the public, all talks were posted on the SETI Institute’s Youtube channel. On the day following the workshop, several of the speakers summarized the key ideas discussed as part of the SETI Institute’s public weekly colloquium series, held on November 12, at 12:00 noon.