Astrobiology Up North

摘要

One of the first (semi-official) astrobiology conferences in the Nordic countries took place in Sigtuna, Sweden, in the summer of 2000, and was organized by the Swedish National Space Board. The conference was a success and spawned the formation of the Swedish Astrobiology Network (SWAN), which was followed by the Finnish Astrobiology Network (FAN) and other Nordic astrobiology initiatives. Initially, the primary function of these organizations was to promote the field of astrobiology in the Nordic countries and create new collaborations and funding opportunities. These activities proved to be highly productive and helped to establish astrobiology as a vital and growing scientific field in the Nordic countries.