Science & Cocktails: Sanjeev Gupta
Did We Find Life On Mars?
Koncertsalen
23. januar 2026 KL. 20.00
Science & Cocktails byder velkommen til Sanjeev Gupta fra Imperial College London, der tager os fra Mars’ iskolde nutid til dens varme, vandrige fortid og spørger: Var der liv på Mars? Før det improviserer Carsten Dahl på piano, og Second Sun afslutter med elektroniske lydlandskaber.
Science & Cocktails is proud to welcome Sanjeev Gupta, Earth & Planetary Scientist at Imperial College London and senior science leader on NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions, for an evening that journeys from a frozen, arid Mars of today to the warm, watery world it once was—and asks the biggest question of all – was there life on Mars? All this after Carsten Dahl, master composing pianist, has free space to play whatever he wants.
What do we know about the history of Mars? How do we search for life on the red planet? What did early Martian landscapes look like? What kind of evidence would truly prove past life—and what are the prospects for humans to go there?
Today the Martian surface is hyper cold, bone dry, and hostile to life, but its rocks preserve abundant clues to a warmer, wetter, and potentially habitable past. In this episode of Science and Cocktails, Sanjeev Gupta shows how robotic exploration of ancient riverbeds, deltas, and lake mudstones lets us reconstruct landscapes from billions of years ago and use them to guide the search for life. He’ll close with the latest results from Jezero crater: intriguing chemical traces in ancient rocks that may hint at past microbial activity—and what it will take to test that claim.
Perhaps you’ll find out that you’re not alone in the universe.
Event held in English with the generous support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Sanjeev Gupta
Sanjeev Gupta is an Earth and Planetary Scientist at Imperial College London, specializing in landscape evolution on Earth and Mars. He is known for discovering how megafloods shaped Britain and for studying ancient rivers and potential signs of past life on Mars. Gupta plays a senior role on NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions and is passionate about science communication, collaborating with museums and artists to engage the public.
Carsten Dahl (solo)
Danish pianist and composer Carsten Dahl is a leading figure in European jazz and improvisation. Over four decades, he has made his mark across diverse projects—from solo and orchestral works to free jazz and interpretations of Bach—bringing a distinctive, adventurous voice to every performance. Tonight, the stage is entirely his.
Second Sun (live act)
Second Sun is the electronic music project of Copenhagen based musician Jacob Rasmussen, presenting ambient soundscapes composed & performed on modular synthesizers, tape machines & effects pedals. The style is instrumental and minimalistic - sometimes with a beat, sometimes not.
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Program
19:00
Doors open
20:00 - 20:45
Carsten Dahl (solo) | Koncertsalen
21:15 - 22:15
Sanjeev Gupta + Q&A | Koncertsalen
22:15 - 23:00
Second Sun (live act) | Studie 1
Kunstnere
Sanjeev Gupta
Earth & Planetary Scientist at Imperial College London
Carsten Dahl
Danish pianist and composer
Second Sun
Electronic music project
