earthspn.gif (56266 bytes)   Astrobiology
                     


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Astrobiology is a branch of biology concerned with the search for life outside the earth and with the effects of extraterrestrial environments on living organisms. Some things that Astrobiology intends to research are whether or not there are other hospitable planets in the universe, the origin of life, plans for the future of life beyond Earth, and exploration missions to Mars and Europa.

"At first, one might not think that their field of expertise might be relevant to Astrobiology. Indeed, with Astrobiology's cosmic perspective, they could well see their interests as being somewhat distant from such an expansive endeavor. Dive into even the most superficial description of Astrobiology and you'll soon see that not only are a vast array of scientific and engineering disciplines involved, but that the intersection points between these disciplines are often novel.

At some point everyone has a stake in Astrobiology. The challenge which lies ahead is not so much the framing of questions as it is of how to channel all relevant expertise to the right task so as to answer these questions. It also requires the willingness of all participants to challenge old assumptions and conceive of novel ways to do things.

As Albert Einstein once said, "the universe is stranger than we can imagine". None the less, armed with this caveat, Astrobiologists should never stop trying to imagine how the universe works - nor shy away from attempting to understand their personal place amidst its splendor and mystery.

You can be an astrobiologist simply by deciding that you are one"(<http://www.astrobiology.com/how.to.html>).


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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