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New work: origins, habitability, false biosignatures
Now that 2022 is nearly 60% complete it seemed past time to update my blog with some recent publications. So far this year my work has continued to focus on major topics in astrobiology: the origin of life, habitability, and the recognition of “false positives” in the search for life on Mars. At the beginning…
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Oxford Union speech
In February this year I had the privilege of speaking at the Oxford Union, a well known debating society run by students of my alma mater. I was invited to oppose the motion “This House Would Populate Mars” in an evening debate. I opposed the motion for three reasons: the extreme unpleasantness of human life…
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New collaboration: philosophy of astrobiology
This post is about a new Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant led by Peter Vickers at Durham, which I am participating in as a co-investigator. Job adverts for a three-year funded PhD student and two-year funded postdoc to follow! Astrobiology blends planetary science, astronomy, and biology, and shares their methods. But compared to scientists working…
Sean McMahon 