The first meet-up within the programme series ‘A Space Illiad’ was held in a dedicated space called Tavan, at the Institute of Physics Belgrade on Wednesday, 11 June 2025. The programme is dedicated to astrobiology, a discipline focused on understanding life and the search for it beyond Earth. The first meeting brought together several interested guests.
Over the past three decades, astrobiology has flourished following the discovery of planets outside the Solar System. This discipline integrates a wide corpus of expertise, including astronomy, astrophysics, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, as well as philosophy and art. A new programme launched by the Institute of Physics Belgrade, envisaged and organised by Dr Tanja Berić, will present an opportunity to exchange opinions on this topic from a variety of perspectives.
Invited speakers participated in the meetup, with the first lecture titled ‘A Gentle Introduction to Astrobiology from the Suffix Position’, delivered by Dr Tanja Berić, Full Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, and Head of the newly established Laboratory for Experimental Astrobiology at the Institute of Physics Belgrade.
The first get-together was opened by the Institute’s Director, Dr Aleksandar Bogojević, who welcomed the audience and outlined the importance of introducing astrobiology at the Institute. He highlighted the benefits of fostering collaboration between physicists and biologists. ‘The questions astrobiology addresses are examples of topics worth gathering for,’ noticed Dr Bogojević.
‘The Universe is exciting, no matter where on that vast staircase you turn your focus,’ he noted, emphasising that the Universe is both non-trivial and comprehensible, and that at one of the steps on this ‘staircase’, physics and biology meet—something demonstrated by astrobiology.
‘I hope we will demonstrate that under the umbrella of astrobiology, all sciences can come together, and these meetings will feature numerous people from various disciplines linked to astrobiology,’ said Dr Tanja Berić.
Through the first lecture, the guests were able to learn more about astrobiology by following its historical development and the issues it deals with today, and they also had the opportunity to hear what researchers from the Laboratory for Experimental Astrobiology, headed by Dr Berić, are doing in this field.
Following the lecture, the guests enjoyed the interactive and entertaining part of the program. Attendees had the opportunity to ‘populate celestial bodies’ by participating in a board game designed and made by young researchers from the Laboratory for Experimental Astrobiology. Through the game, they were able to learn a little more about the conditions for potential life that prevail on Venus, Titan or Mars.
Photos by: Tanja Bažalac