The second Biennial European Astrobiology Conference (BEACON) will take place at the Harpa Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland from 1-5 July 2025. During this meeting also the 7th General Assembly of the EAI will take place.
Plenary mainscientific sessions are planned covering the following themes:
There will be also special sessions on the following subjects:
- Asteroids, Comets and Meteorites: Inheritance, Reprocessing, Synthesis and delivery of complex molecules
- Biochemical functions in compartmented microenvironments
- Chemistry on the early Earth, Mars, and other rocky bodies
- Coupling of compartment, metabolism and heritable information in evolutionary systems
- Complex chemistry in outer solar system bodies
- Complex organic molecules in the ISM: From Molecular Clouds to Protoplanetary Disks
- Early and extinct life on Earth
- Evolution of photosynthesis
- Evidence in astrobiology
- False positives in astrobiology
- Icy Moons
- Impacts and their Role in the Evolution of Planets, Moons and Life
- Legal issues in astrobiology
- Mars missions and the detection of minerals, organics and biosignatures
- Molecular Mechanisms of adaptation to Life to extreme conditions
- Organics and biosignature detection on icy moons
- Origins of metabolism and template replication: The path to an RNA/Peptide world
- Prebiotic (systems) chemistry: Synthesis of monomers and polymers in the lab
- Protoplanetary disks and their physical and chemical processes
- Stability and detection of biosignatures on Mars
- Tracing Life and Identifying Habitable Environments
- Venus
Programme
The scientific programme will consist of invited talks (35 + 10 minutes) and contributed talks (12 + 3 minutes) as will as poster sessions. There will be, amongst others, the following keynote speakers at BEACON 2025:
Frédéric Foucher
CNRS, FR
Kevin Heng
LMU Munich, DE
Nozair Khawaja
FUB & IRS-Uni Stuttgart, DE
Melissa McClure
Leiden University, NL
Ganna Portyankina
DLR, DE
Barabara Sherwood-Lollar
University of Toronto, CA
Sandra Siljeström
RISE, SE
Anne Grete Straume-Lindner
ESA
Giovanna Tinetti
UCL London, UK
In addition to the scientific programme, there will be a conference dinner at Perlan carousel restaurant. Also outreach events for the general public will be held.
Conference Dinner
A conference dinner will be organised at the Perlan carousel restaurant on Öskjuhlið hill in Southern Reykjavík. The price for the dinner includes:
- 3 course Icelandic meal
- Bus transport to and from the restaurant
Please mention any dietary requirements on the registration form.
Conference Excursions
We offer 4 different conference excursions:
Golden Circle
We set out to þingvellir, the seat of the first democratically elected still existing parliament in Iceland and the world. There we will walk around the Almannagjá canyon where the assembly attendees gathered and we will see the features of the graben caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian plate. We will continue to the Geyser areas and will see Strokkur squirting. From there it is only a short ride to Gullfoss where we will see the waterfall and have lunch. Then we make our way to Hveragerði and visit the hot spring area in the Centre of Iceland’s flower city. From there we head back to Reykjavík.
Literature and landscape
We head off to Mosfellsbær and further on to Gjulfrasteinn, the homestead of Iceland’s Nobel Laureate Halldór K. Laxness. From there we continue to þingvellir, the seat of the first democratically elected still existing parliament in Iceland and the world. There we will walk around the Almannagjá canyon where the assembly attendees gathered and we will see the features of the graben caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian plate. We head north through Kaldidalur, where we can enjoy the view of volcano Skjaldbreiður. We end up in Reykholt, the dwelling place of the Icelandic author and politician Snorri Sturluson and see the bath where he was killed. We continue through Husadalur to Borgarnes making a stop at the strongest hot spring in Iceland. At Borgarnes we will visit the museum devoted to the first Icelandic poet Egill Skallagrimsson.
Around Reykjanes peninsula – geothermal sites and volcanoes
We head off to the geothermal power station at Hellisheidi. Then we make our way to Hveragerði and visit the hot spring area in the Centre of Iceland’s flower city. We continue along the South Coast to Gríndavík, where we will have lunch. From Gríndavík we continue to Gunnuhver, one of the strongest solfataras in Iceland. From there we make our way to the lighthouse at the southwestern edge of Iceland from where we will enjoy a view over the bird island Eldey. We continue north along the coast making a stop at the bridge “connecting Europe and North America”. We travel on along the coast and make a stop at the volcano Fagradalsfjall (geological situation permitting). From there we head back to Reykjavík.
Explorers and volcanoes – Around Snæfellsnes
We head off from Reykjavik north to Borgarnes. At Borgarnes we will visit the museum devoted to the first Icelandic poet Egill Skallagrimsson. From Borgarnes we will make our way round Snæfellsnes enjoying the view of the volcano known from Jules Verne’s novel “Travel to the Centre of Earth”. We will stop at exciting sights like the Black and White Beach and the Black Church and last, but not least, the famous Kirkfjall mountain. We carry on to Stykkisholmur where we will visit the Shark Museum and the Volcano Museum founded by the famous volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson. From there we head back to Reykjavík.
After-Conference-Outing
There will be a 4-days after-conference outing organised for those interested. The programme is as follows:
7 July 2025
Departure from Reykjavik, Visit to Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant. Continuation to Hveragerði. Town visit, possibility for lunch. Walk up the famous Reykjadalur Hot Spring Area with possibility to bath in the hot river. Overnight stay in Hotel Örk in Hveragerði.
8 July 2025
Continuation via South Iceland to the ferry port, transfer to the Westman Island. Walk around the island. Possibility to visit the Old Fort, the Eldheimar earthquake Centre, the Viking and Natural History Museum. Possibility to eat lunch at one of the famous fish restaurants in Heimaey. Return to the mainland and overnight stay at Hotel Hvolsvöllur.
9 July 2025
We will set off to Seljalandsfoss waterfall (stop) and continue to Skogafoss. We will then continue past the Myrdalsjökull glacier (short stop) to the Black Sand, We men make our way inland via an adventurous trip to Landmannalaugar. Time and weather allowing we will embark on a walk to sulfur mountain (Brennisteinnsálda) and the green canyon (Grænagil). We continue to Hrauneyjar Highland Centre for a dinner and overnight stay. Packed lunch will be provided.
10 July 2025
We set forth to Gullfoss where we visit the waterfall. Then we continue to Geyser having a stop and lunch at the geyser area and see Strokkur squirt. We then travel on to þingvellir, the seat of the first democratically elected still existing parliament in Iceland and the world. There we will walk around the Almannagjá canyon where the assembly attendees gathered and we will see the features of the graben caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian plate. Later we return to Reykjavík.
Please note that programs can be changed due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., eruptions, weather and road closures). Since the Golden Circle is covered by this tour, we recommend participants to make another choice for the conference excursions.
Polite notice: Accompanying persons are welcome to all social activities (the same prices apply as for attendees)!