Maria Pereira

Columbia University, PhD Candidate

The Colors of Life: Astrobiology through Newton's Prism

Abstract: What will plants on other worlds look like? Will they be green and leafy as on Earth? Or could there be planets with purple trees? Black grassy plains? Orange marshes? These questions might seem purely speculative, something out of a technicolor daydream, but, in reality, their answers are bringing us closer to finding the first signs of extraterrestrial life. Unfortunately, they are not particularly easy questions to answer. In fact... Why are plants on Earth green? Come to my lecture to find out why!