Impacts and their role in the origin and evolution of life

The conference “Impacts and their role in the origin and evolution of life” will take place from 1 to 4 September 2025 in the picturesque medieval city of Nördlingen , which is situated inside the world-famous Ries crater in southern Germany. The meeting will start on 1 September in the morning and end on 3rd September in the evening. On 4th September there is a 1-day excursion around the Ries crater. It aims to cover the role of meteorite and comets impacts in the formation of Earth, its atmosphere and the evolution of life. The conference will consist of lectures, discussions and excursions and participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in one or two poster sessions. The European Astrobiology Institute and the Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre, and the University of Neu-Ulm  will function as co-organisers of the conference:

• Impacts and the early history of the Solar System
• Impact structures as indicators of target properties
• Role of impacts in delivery and formation of the building blocks for life
• Impact-generated habitats for life
• Environment effects of impacts
• Impacts as threats for life and humankind
• Geoconservation, education and outreach of impacts