Astrobiology: Exploring the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe

D. J. Des Marais; M. R. Walter

doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.30.1.397

Astrobiology: Exploring the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe

D. J. Des Marais^*, M. R. Walter

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The search for the origins of life and its presence beyond Earth is strengthened by new technology and by evidence that life tolerates extreme conditions and that planets are widespread. Astrobiologists learn how planets develop and maintain habitable conditions. They combine biological and information sciences to decipher the origins of life. They examine how biota, particularly microorganisms, evolve, at scales from the molecular to the biosphere level, including interactions with long-term planetary changes. Astrobiologists learn how to recognize the morphological, chemical, and spectroscopic signatures of life in order to explore both extraterrestrial samples and electromagnetic spectra reflected from extrasolar planets.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	397-420
Number of pages	24
Journal	Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics
Volume	30
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.30.1.397
Publication status	Published - 1999

Keywords

Biospheres
Microorganisms
Origin of life
Planets
Precambrian
Solar system

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10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.30.1.397

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Astrobiology: Exploring the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe

Abstract

Keywords

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