There is the real and fascinating probability that in the future we will be confronted with extra terrestrial worlds whose physical conditions and compositions result in chemistries radically different from our own.

This talk (the Humphry Davy Lecture, first given at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London), outlines our current knowledge of the origin and distribution of the elements in the universe, and the investigation of dense interstellar environments. These imply a huge unexplored range of chemical possibilities and may lead to profound implications for life in the Universe. It is suggested that extensive theoretical investigation of these enticing possibilities may be both possible and necessary.

Mike Edmunds is Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University, and the immediate past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is a Vice-President of the Herschel Society and an Honorary Vice-President of the Society for the History of Astronomy. He can occasionally be seen in his one-man play about Newton – Sir Isaac Remembers… He was the subject of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific in April 2024, also appearing on In Our Time.