A series of free public lectures on the theme, "Life in the Universe", will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway over the coming weeks. Dr Duncan Steel, who is reader in space technology at the University of Salford, will lecture in Galway on Friday, September 21st, and in Dublin on Saturday, September 22nd, on "Life on Earth, the beginning and the end". He will look in particular at mass extinctions caused by impacts by large asteroids and comets.

Mr Mario Di Maggio of Armagh Planetarium speaks about "Aliens on Earth" on October 6th in Dublin and Dr Ian Sanders of Trinity College, Dublin, gives a talk about "Meteorites and the Origin of Planets" on October 20th.

Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe, the distinguished astronomer who proposed the theory that dust in space and in comets was largely organic and who with Sir Fred Hoyle advocated the idea that molecules from space triggered life on earth, is also among the "Life on Earth" speakers. His talks are in Galway on Thursday, October 11th, and in Cork on Friday, October 12th.

The lecture series, supported by the STI Awareness Programme, links with the Life in the Universe competition for teenagers aged between 14 and 19 and under way in 23 European countries. Details are provided on a web site (address below) and Irish entries must be received before Wednesday, October 10th. The awards ceremony takes place at the RDS in Dublin on Tuesday, October 16th.

Places at the lectures may be reserved by sending an e-mail to knolan@seti.it-tallaght.ie or by phoning 087-2386141. Website: www.liu.ie