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AstrobiologyAstrobiology is the study of the living universe. Advances in science and technology are yielding dramatic new knowledge about the origin, distribution, and destiny of life. Scientists have analyzed complex organic chemistry in interstellar clouds of gas and dust and have discovered more than 200 planets outside of our solar system. Life on Earth has been found thriving at environmental extremes such as in Antarctic rocks, boiling hot springs, and aquifers buried kilometers below the land surface. We have found that liquid water, the one essential ingredient for life as we know it, once flowed on the surface of the planet Mars and exists today below the icy crust of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Life on Earth has been traced back 3.8 billion years to the period of heavy cometary bombardment, an era that simultaneously brought life-giving water and organic compounds to the terrestrial planets while battering them with lethal quantities of impact energy. We are discovering both the fragility and robustness of life as we investigate the history of mass extinctions on our planet (including extinctions taking place today), the subtle alterations in climate triggered by volcanic eruptions and human industry, and the destruction of our planet's protective shield of ozone.
Astrobiology is, then, a macro-system focussed discipline. It seeks to understand the very large scale processes which can influence or even create life. The ramifications of the recent discovery that Mars was once quite wet has caused quite a stir in the astrobiological community. More than this, an astrobiologist wants an answer to the question "How does life arise?" He may model a galaxy's lifetime, or part of it, to see which stars are formed where, how they orbit, and whether they avoid the energetic (and quite deadly) galactic center. Astrobiologists are interested in metallicity of stars since a star with a high metallicity is very likely to have planets. This ties in with the age of stars - An old star was formed before supernovae had enriched the locale with metals. Astrobiology is truly a diverse discipline (being young), yet intensely relevant.
Astrobiology is multidisciplinary in its content and interdisciplinary in its execution. Its success depends critically upon the close coordination of diverse scientific disciplines and programs, including space missions. The fundamental questions that astrobiology attempts to answer are these:
- How do habitable worlds form and how do they evolve?
- How did living systems emerge? How can we recognize other biospheres?
- How have the Earth and its biosphere influenced each other over time?
- How do rapid changes in the environment affect emergent ecosystem properties and their evolution?
- What is the potential for biological evolution beyond the planet of origin?
Astrobiology encourages planetary stewardship through an emphasis on protection against forward and back biological contamination and recognition of ethical issues associated with exploration.
Astrobiology recognizes a broad societal interest in its endeavors, especially in areas such as achieving a deeper understanding of life, searching for extraterrestrial biospheres, assessing the societal implications of discovering other examples of life, and envisioning the future of life on Earth and in space.
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NASA Astrobiology Institute
A partnership between NASA and other research organizations to conduct and lead integrated multidisciplinary research in astrobiology, the study of life in the universe.
http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/
Tulane Environmental Astrobiology Center
The joint venture between Tulane Medical Center and NASA studies the effects of space travel upon the human body as well as the use of microgravity to study basic biological phenomena.
http://www.tmc.tulane.edu/astrobiology/
The UK Astrobiology Forum and Network
Aims to facilitate communication between those involved in the science of astrobiology in the United Kingdom.
http://astrobiology.rl.ac.uk/
Cosmic Ancestry
The modern version of panspermia, Cosmic Ancestry treats all of evolution, not just the origin of life on Earth.
http://www.panspermia.org/
IGPP Center for Astrobiology
NASA Astrobiology Institute founding member located at the UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.
http://www.astrobiology.ucla.edu/
Titan as an Exobiology Laboratory
Explains why this moon of Saturn is an object of exceptional interest for exobiological research.
http://www.seds.org/~rme/titan.htm
Astrobiology at Marine Biological Laboratory
Seeks an understanding about the evolution of early life forms and how changing environments contributed to the development of complex systems in simple organisms.
http://www.mbl.edu/Astrobiology/
Harvard OEB
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Researches and teaches "biology with a global perspective."
http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/
American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
Fosters research, education, training, and development in gravitational and space biology.
http://www.asgsb.org/
Astrobiology at ASU
A member of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. The Arizona State University program studies the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the solar system.
http://astrobiology.asu.edu/
Cosmic Evolution
An educational site based on a textbook that follows the evolution of the Universe "from big bang to humankind." Hosted by the Wright Center at Tufts University.
http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/cosmic_evolution/
NSCORT in Origins of Life
The NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training at the New York Center for Studies of the Origins of Life. A partnership with RPI and SUNY-Albany.
http://www.origins.rpi.edu/
The Astrochemistry Laboratory
Located in the Astrophysics Branch of the Space Sciences Division at NASA's Ames Research Center. Specializes in the study of extraterrestrial materials and their analogs.
http://www.astrochemistry.org/
Penn State Astrobiology Research Center
PSARC's primary mission is to conduct multidisciplinary research and education in Astrobiology as a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
http://psarc.geosc.psu.edu/
Astrobiology Magazine
E-zine on life beyond Earth and origin of life. Includes news articles, reference material, and forums.
http://www.astrobio.net/news/index.php
Introduction to Exobiology
Explores the field of exobiology from a lay perspective including a self-test. Part of the Cruising Chemistry project at Duke.
http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/Exobiology/
A Search for Evidence of Interplanetary and Atmospheric Microbial Delivery Systems
Conference paper on the solar wind propelled interplanetary viral and bacterial movements.
http://www.ebicom.net/~rsf1/vel/iamds.htm
New Scientist Astrobiology
New Scientist's second Millennium Special focuses on the search for life beyond Earth. Part of the Hot Topics section.
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/astrobiology/
NSCORT in Exobiology
The NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Gravitational Biology is a partnership with UCSD, Scripps, and Salk Institutes.
http://exobio.ucsd.edu/NSCORT.htm
The Origin of Life and Evolution of the Cosmos
Explores events that led to the origin of life on earth.
http://www.originoflife.org.uk/
The Astrobiology Web
An online guide to the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universe as well as all other aspects of space exploration.
http://www.astrobiology.com/
Net Advance of Physics: Bioastronomy
An experimental page part of the MIT Net Advance project. Includes research and review articles, and offline as well as online materials.
http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/r/e/redingtn/www/netadv/bioast.html
Origins of Life in our Solar System
A brief overview of creation of the universe and origins of life in our solar system.
http://www.telemedical.com/Telemedical/origins.htm
NASA's Origins Program
This program at JPL seeks to answer the fundamental questions about the Universe: Where do we come from? Are we alone?
http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/
Astrobiology
The aims of the journal Astrobiology are to advance our understanding of life's origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny in the universe. Published quarterly.
http://www.liebertpub.com/AST/default1.asp
UW Astrobiology Program
The University of Washington's graduate certificate program enables students to obtain the interdepartmental background necessary. Focus is on Earth's extreme microbial environments.
http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/
CU Center for Astrobiology
A member institution of the NAI from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Includes labs, graduate programs, and educational resources.
http://argyre.colorado.edu/life/CAB.html
Geobiology and Astrobiology at Caltech/JPL
Studies the history of life on earth as well as the role the biota continue to play in shaping modern environments though exploring molecular evolution.
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/options/geobiology/geobio.html
The Swedish Astrobiology Network
The SWAN network is a non-profit association of Swedish scientists, who share an interest in astrobiology.
http://www.astrobiologi.nu/
Carnegie Institution of Washington
A private, nonprofit organization engaged in basic research and advanced education in biology, astronomy, and the earth sciences. Part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
http://astrobiology.ciw.edu/
Cosmic Ancestry
Gives examples of microbes that survive the vacuum of space. Discusses Neo-Darwinism.
http://www.panspermia.com/
Australian Centre for Astrobiology
Based at Macquarie University, the centre includes astrobiologists from around Australia. The ACA is Australia's international member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
http://aca.mq.edu.au/
Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology
The Centre aims to combine the expertise of astronomers, biochemists, and microbiologists to enable us to answer the age-old question: where did we come from?
http://www.astrobiology.cf.ac.uk/
Life on the Edge
Science@NASA article on an experiment designed for students of all ages to investigate life in extreme environments and to learn about the possibilities for life elsewhere in the Solar System.
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad13jan99_1.htm
TERC Astrobiology Curriculum
TERC and NASA are developing an interdisciplinary, year-long course for middle and high school students using astrobiology as its unifying, underlying structure.
http://astrobio.terc.edu/
Planetary Biology
A whole-world systems theory that explains how planets with life work. Being developed independently as an online textbook.
http://www.planetarybiology.com/
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Provides a channel of information for scientists, educators and other persons interested in life sciences as they relate to planetary science and space exploration.
http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/marsbugs/marsbugs.html
The Astrobiology Index
Categorized links to a wealth of resources on the space life sciences.
http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology.html
NSCORT in Gravitational Biology
The NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Gravitational Biology is a partnership with Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering at Rice University.
http://dacnet.rice.edu/Depts/IBB/NSCORT/
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