"Life on Other Planets: Philosophical Implications of Astrobiology" is the topic for a Philosopher's Corner talk on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 3:30 p.m. at the Lackey Chapel at Coastal Carolina University. The event is free and open to the public.

Kelly Smith, Ph.D., philosophy and biological sciences professor at Clemson University, will lead the discussion of topics including astrobiology, the definition of "life" and related religious and ethical implications. He is also NASA consultant for astrobiology.

Smith earned a master's degree in zoology from Duke University in 1992 and a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1994. He also oversees the ethics curriculum at the University of South Carolina Medical School in Greenville. His research includes genetic disease, the connections between religion and science, ethical consequences of new biotechnologies, complex systems in developmental and evolutionary biology, and the origins of life and philosophical issues surrounding the search for life on other planets.

Tickets are not required. The Lackey Chapel is located at 105 University Drive in Conway.

For more information, contact Amber Eckersley assistant director of the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values, at 843-349-4149 or at aneckers@coastal.edu.