%0 Book %E Hazen, Robert M. %T Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origin %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10753/genesis-the-scientific-quest-for-lifes-origin %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10753/genesis-the-scientific-quest-for-lifes-origin %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Explore Science %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 368 %X Life on Earth arose nearly 4 billion years ago, bursting forth from air, water, and rock. Though the process obeyed all the rules of chemistry and physics, the details of that original event pose as deep a mystery as any facing science. How did non-living chemicals become alive? While the question is (deceivingly) simple, the answers are unquestionably complex. Science inevitably plays a key role in any discussion of life’s origins, dealing less with the question of why life appeared on Earth than with where, when, and how it emerged on the blasted, barren face of our primitive planet. Astrobiologist Robert Hazen has spent many years dealing with the fundamental questions of life’s genesis. As an active research scientist, he is down deep in all the messy details that science has to offer on the subject, tracing the inexorable sequence of events that led to the complicated interactions of carbonbased molecules. As he takes us through the astounding process of emergence, we are witness to the first tentative steps toward life—from the unfathomable abundance of carbon biomolecules synthesized in the black vacuum of space to the surface of the Earth to deep within our planet’s restless crust. We are privy to the breathtaking drama that rapidly unfolds as life prevails. The theory of emergence is poised to answer a multitude of questions—even as it raises the possibility that natural processes exist beyond what we now know, perhaps beyond what we even comprehend. Genesis tells the tale of transforming scientific advances in our quest for life’s origins. Written with grace, beauty, and authority, it goes directly to the heart of who we are and why we are here. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems %@ 978-0-309-10484-5 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11919/the-limits-of-organic-life-in-planetary-systems %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11919/the-limits-of-organic-life-in-planetary-systems %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 116 %X The search for life in the solar system and beyond has to date been governed by a model based on what we know about life on Earth (terran life). Most of NASA's mission planning is focused on locations where liquid water is possible and emphasizes searches for structures that resemble cells in terran organisms. It is possible, however, that life exists that is based on chemical reactions that do not involve carbon compounds, that occurs in solvents other than water, or that involves oxidation-reduction reactions without oxygen gas. To assist NASA incorporate this possibility in its efforts to search for life, the NRC was asked to carry out a study to evaluate whether nonstandard biochemistry might support life in solar system and conceivable extrasolar environments, and to define areas to guide research in this area. This book presents an exploration of a limited set of hypothetical chemistries of life, a review of current knowledge concerning key questions or hypotheses about nonterran life, and suggestions for future research. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Astrophysical Context of Life %@ 978-0-309-09627-0 %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11316/the-astrophysical-context-of-life %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11316/the-astrophysical-context-of-life %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 93 %X In 1997, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) formed the National Astrobiology Institute to coordinate and fund research into the origins, distribution, and fate of life in the universe. A 2002 NRC study of that program, Life in the Universe: An Assessment of U.S. and International Programs in Astrobiology, raised a number of concerns about the Astrobiology program. In particular, it concluded that areas of astrophysics related to the astronomical environment in which life arose on earth were not well represented in the program. In response to that finding, the Space Studies Board requested the original study committee, the Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life, to examine ways to augment and integrate astronomy and astrophysics into the Astrobiology program. This report presents the results of that study. It provides a review of the earlier report and related efforts, a detailed examination of the elements of the astrobiology program that would benefit from greater integration and augmentation of astronomy and astrophysics, and an assessment of ways to facilitate the integration of astronomy with other astrobiology disciplines. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-06634-1 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9638/size-limits-of-very-small-microorganisms-proceedings-of-a-workshop %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9638/size-limits-of-very-small-microorganisms-proceedings-of-a-workshop %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 164 %X How small can a free-living organism be? On the surface, this question is straightforward-in principle, the smallest cells can be identified and measured. But understanding what factors determine this lower limit, and addressing the host of other questions that follow on from this knowledge, require a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and ecology of cellular life. The recent report of evidence for life in a martian meteorite and the prospect of searching for biological signatures in intelligently chosen samples from Mars and elsewhere bring a new immediacy to such questions. How do we recognize the morphological or chemical remnants of life in rocks deposited 4 billion years ago on another planet? Are the empirical limits on cell size identified by observation on Earth applicable to life wherever it may occur, or is minimum size a function of the particular chemistry of an individual planetary surface? These questions formed the focus of a workshop on the size limits of very small organisms, organized by the Steering .Group for the Workshop on Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms and held on October 22 and 23, 1998. Eighteen invited panelists, representing fields ranging from cell biology and molecular genetics to paleontology and mineralogy, joined with an almost equal number of other participants in a wide-ranging exploration of minimum cell size and the challenge of interpreting micro- and nano-scale features of sedimentary rocks found on Earth or elsewhere in the solar system. This document contains the proceedings of that workshop. It includes position papers presented by the individual panelists, arranged by panel, along with a summary, for each of the four sessions, of extensive roundtable discussions that involved the panelists as well as other workshop participants. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe %@ 978-0-309-48416-9 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25252/an-astrobiology-strategy-for-the-search-for-life-in-the-universe %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25252/an-astrobiology-strategy-for-the-search-for-life-in-the-universe %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 188 %X Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It is an inherently interdisciplinary field that encompasses astronomy, biology, geology, heliophysics, and planetary science, including complementary laboratory activities and field studies conducted in a wide range of terrestrial environments. Combining inherent scientific interest and public appeal, the search for life in the solar system and beyond provides a scientific rationale for many current and future activities carried out by the National Aeronautics and Science Administration (NASA) and other national and international agencies and organizations. Requested by NASA, this study offers a science strategy for astrobiology that outlines key scientific questions, identifies the most promising research in the field, and indicates the extent to which the mission priorities in existing decadal surveys address the search for life's origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe. This report makes recommendations for advancing the research, obtaining the measurements, and realizing NASA's goal to search for signs of life in the universe. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute %@ 978-0-309-11497-4 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12071/assessment-of-the-nasa-astrobiology-institute %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12071/assessment-of-the-nasa-astrobiology-institute %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 80 %X Astrobiology is a scientific discipline devoted to the study of life in the universe - its origin, evolution, distribution, and future. In 1997, NASA established an Astrobiology program (the NASA Astrobiology Institute - NAI) as a result of a series of new results from solar system exploration and astronomical research in the mid-1990s together with advances in the biological sciences. To help evaluate the NAI, NASA asked the NRC to review progress made by the Institute in developing the field of astrobiology. This book presents an evaluation of NAI's success in meeting its goals for fostering interdisciplinary research, training future astrobiology researchers, providing scientific and technical leadership, exploring new research approaches with information technology, and supporting outreach to K-12 education programs. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Search for Life's Origins: Progress and Future Directions in Planetary Biology and Chemical Evolution %@ 978-0-309-04246-8 %D 1990 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1541/the-search-for-lifes-origins-progress-and-future-directions-in %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1541/the-search-for-lifes-origins-progress-and-future-directions-in %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 160 %X The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules—the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs—including an ambitious effort centered on Mars—to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings—including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Life Sciences: Space Science in the Twenty-First Century -- Imperatives for the Decades 1995 to 2015 %@ 978-0-309-03880-5 %D 1988 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/752/life-sciences-space-science-in-the-twenty-first-century-imperatives %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/752/life-sciences-space-science-in-the-twenty-first-century-imperatives %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 153 %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Report Series: Committee on Planetary Protection: Evaluation of Bioburden Requirements for Mars Missions %@ 978-0-309-27069-4 %D 2021 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26336/report-series-committee-on-planetary-protection-evaluation-of-bioburden-requirements %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26336/report-series-committee-on-planetary-protection-evaluation-of-bioburden-requirements %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 88 %X Since the 1980s, national and international planetary protection policies have sought to avoid contamination by terrestrial organisms that could compromise future investigations regarding the origin or presence of Martian life. Over the last decade, the number of national space agencies planning, participating in, and undertaking missions to Mars has increased, and private-sector enterprises are engaged in activities designed to enable commercial missions to Mars. The nature of missions to Mars is also evolving to feature more diversity in purposes and technologies. As missions to Mars increase and diversify, national and international processes for developing planetary protection measures recognize the need to consider the interests of scientific discovery, commercial activity, and human exploration. The implications of these changes for planetary protection should be considered in the context of how much science has learned about Mars, and about terrestrial life, in recent years. At the request of NASA, this report identifies criteria for determining locations on Mars potentially suitable for landed robotic missions that satisfy less stringent bioburden requirements, which are intended to manage the risk of forward contamination. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making %@ 978-0-309-06136-0 %D 1998 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6281/evaluating-the-biological-potential-in-samples-returned-from-planetary-satellites-and-small-solar-system-bodies %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6281/evaluating-the-biological-potential-in-samples-returned-from-planetary-satellites-and-small-solar-system-bodies %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 116 %X For the first time since the Apollo program, NASA and space agencies abroad have plans to bring samples to Earth from elsewhere in the solar system. There are missions in various stages of definition to gather material over the next decade from Mars, an asteroid, comets, the satellites of Jupiter, and the interplanetary dust. Some of these targets, most especially Jupiter's satellites Europa and Ganymede, now appear to have the potential for harboring living organisms. This book considers the possibility that life may have originated or existed on a body from which a sample might be taken and the possibility that life still exists on the body either in active form or in a form that could be reactivated. It also addresses the potential hazard to terrestrial ecosystems from extraterrestrial life if it exists in a returned sample. Released at the time of the Internationl Committee on Space Research General Assembly, the book has already established the basis for plans for small body sample retruns in the international space research community. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Schmitt, Joseph R. %T Searching for Life Across Space and Time: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-46394-2 %D 2017 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24860/searching-for-life-across-space-and-time-proceedings-of-a %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24860/searching-for-life-across-space-and-time-proceedings-of-a %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 132 %X The search for life is one of the most active fields in space science and involves a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, biology, chemistry, and geoscience. In December 2016, the Space Studies Board hosted a workshop to explore the possibility of habitable environments in the solar system and in exoplanets, techniques for detecting life, and the instrumentation used. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Earth's Electrical Environment %@ 978-0-309-03680-1 %D 1986 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/898/the-earths-electrical-environment %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/898/the-earths-electrical-environment %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 279 %X This latest addition to the Studies in Geophysics series explores in scientific detail the phenomenon of lightning, cloud, and thunderstorm electricity, and global and regional electrical processes. Consisting of 16 papers by outstanding experts in a number of fields, this volume compiles and reviews many recent advances in such research areas as meteorology, chemistry, electrical engineering, and physics and projects how new knowledge could be applied to benefit mankind. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Origin and Evolution of Earth: Research Questions for a Changing Planet %@ 978-0-309-11717-3 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12161/origin-and-evolution-of-earth-research-questions-for-a-changing %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12161/origin-and-evolution-of-earth-research-questions-for-a-changing %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 150 %X Questions about the origin and nature of Earth and the life on it have long preoccupied human thought and the scientific endeavor. Deciphering the planet's history and processes could improve the ability to predict catastrophes like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, to manage Earth's resources, and to anticipate changes in climate and geologic processes. At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Geological Survey, the National Research Council assembled a committee to propose and explore grand questions in geological and planetary science. This book captures, in a series of questions, the essential scientific challenges that constitute the frontier of Earth science at the start of the 21st century. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032 %@ 978-0-309-47578-5 %D 2023 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26522/origins-worlds-and-life-a-decadal-strategy-for-planetary-science %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26522/origins-worlds-and-life-a-decadal-strategy-for-planetary-science %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 736 %X The next decade of planetary science and astrobiology holds tremendous promise. New research will expand our understanding of our solar system's origins, how planets form and evolve, under what conditions life can survive, and where to find potentially habitable environments in our solar system and beyond. Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032 highlights key science questions, identifies priority missions, and presents a comprehensive research strategy that includes both planetary defense and human exploration. This report also recommends ways to support the profession as well as the technologies and infrastructure needed to carry out the science. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Signs of Life: A Report Based on the April 2000 Workshop on Life Detection Techniques %@ 978-0-309-08306-5 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10265/signs-of-life-a-report-based-on-the-april-2000 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10265/signs-of-life-a-report-based-on-the-april-2000 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 226 %X A workshop to assess the science and technology of life detection techniques was organized by the Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life (COEL) of the Board on Life Sciences (BLS) and the Space Studies Board (SSB). Topics discussed in the workshop included the search for extraterrestrial life in situ and in the laboratory, extant life and the signature of extinct life, and determination of the point of origin (terrestrial or not) of detected organisms. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities: Restoring NASA's Technological Edge and Paving the Way for a New Era in Space %@ 978-0-309-25362-8 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13354/nasa-space-technology-roadmaps-and-priorities-restoring-nasas-technological-edge %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13354/nasa-space-technology-roadmaps-and-priorities-restoring-nasas-technological-edge %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 376 %X NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) has begun to rebuild the advanced space technology program in the agency with plans laid out in 14 draft technology roadmaps. It has been years since NASA has had a vigorous, broad-based program in advanced space technology development and its technology base has been largely depleted. However, success in executing future NASA space missions will depend on advanced technology developments that should already be underway. Reaching out to involve the external technical community, the National Research Council (NRC) considered the 14 draft technology roadmaps prepared by OCT and ranked the top technical challenges and highest priority technologies that NASA should emphasize in the next 5 years. This report provides specific guidance and recommendations on how the effectiveness of the technology development program managed by OCT can be enhanced in the face of scarce resources.