Life As We (Now) Know It: Lynn Rothschild at TEDxSantaCruz

Are we alone? The search for life in the universe by Astrobiologist Lynn Rothschild.

This TEDxSantaCruz talk is one of 22 surrounding our theme of "Activate" at the third full-day TEDxSantaCruz event held March 8, 2014 at the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, CA.

Dr. Lynn Rothschild is an evolutionary biologist/ astrobiologist / synthetic biologist at NASA Ames. Her research has focused on how life, particularly microbes, has evolved in the context of the physical environment, both here and potentially elsewhere, and how we might tap into "Nature's toolbox" to advance the field of synthetic biology. Field sites range from Australia to Africa to the Andes, from the ocean to 100,000 feet on a balloon. Rothschild has brought her expertise in extremeophiles and evolutionary biology to the field of synthetic biology, showing how synthetic biology can enhance NASA's missions. She is the faculty advisor of the Stanford-Brown award-winning iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine) team. Her lab is currently working projects as diverse as recreating the first proteins de novo to biomining to using synthetic biology to make bricks on Mars or the Moon. Rothschild is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the California Academy of Sciences and the Explorers Club.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)