Joan Oró (1923–2004) was a Catalan biochemist whose research helped establish how the building blocks of life could arise naturally, contributing foundational work to astrobiology and origin-of-life science - wikipedia 
Oró demonstrated that amino acids could form under conditions simulating early Earth, influencing space missions and planetary science. His work bridged chemistry, biology, and cosmology.
He argued that understanding life’s fragility imposed ethical obligations on technological civilisation. Scientific capability without care risked extinction rather than progress.
Within Hitchhiker lore, Oró represents Earth’s claim to biological dignity in debates with synthetic or post-biological species.
# Grave
SEARCH Joan Oró is buried in **Lleida**, his birthplace, at the **Cementiri de Lleida (Lleida Cemetery)**, returning the scientist of life’s cosmic origins to the local ground where his own began. 41.6124193, 0.6534403 Cementiri Municipal de Lleida, Lleida, Segrià, Catalonia, 25001, Spain