Extraterrestrial life is life that originated any place but
on Earth. Although its existence remains purely hypothetical,
due to the lack of universally accepted scientific evidence,
there are several hypotheses about how and where life might have
emerged elsewhere in the Universe, and whether or not those origins
resemble the origins of life on Earth. The idea that life, especially
life with intelligence, might exist in other parts of the Universe
is a very old one and the older conceptualization, that of a “plurality
of worlds,” is represented across many cultures throughout
civilized history from ancient texts to contemporary science
fiction literature and film. Here on Earth the fascination with
the idea of meeting and communicating with extraterrestrials
is held widely by many enthusiastic supporters around the world.
Astrobiology is the current term used to encompass the related
disciplines engaged in “the study of the living universe,” including
the search for extraterrestrial life through in situ exploration,
the use of spectroscopy of solar and extrasolar planetary atmospheres,
and the perhaps more familiar search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
The search for life elsewhere in the Universe is influenced
by our knowledge of life on Earth and vice versa. The presence
of complex organic compounds has been observed in many bodies
in space, linking the search for life on other planets to the
search for understanding of the origins of all life. Within our
own Solar System the focus of the search has been on Mars, Venus
and a number of planetary moons, such as Europa.
The origin of all life and the search for its existence in extraterrestrial
locales is the focus of this Science Tracer Bullet, an update of TB 82-4.
Not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography, this compilation is designed
to get the reader “on target.”
TOP OF PAGE
Are we alone? In The Illustrated encyclopedia
of the universe. General editor, Ian Ridpath. New York, Watson-Guptill
Publications, 2001. p. 332-333.
QB14.I588 2001 <SciRR>
TOP OF PAGE
Subject headings used by the Library of Congress,
under which books on extraterrestrial life can be located
in most card, book, and online catalogs, include the following:
Highly Relevant
EXTRATERRESTRIAL BEINGS
HUMAN-ALIEN ENCOUNTERS
LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS
PLURALITY OF WORLDS
Relevant
INTERSTELLAR COMMUNICATION
LIFE--ORIGIN
Related
ALIEN ABDUCTION
EXTRASOLAR PLANETS
MARS (PLANET) EXPLORATION
MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
RADIO ASTRONOMY
SPONTANEOUS GENERATION
UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
More General
ASTROBIOLOGY
COSMOLOGY
EVOLUTION (BIOLOGY)
EXOBIOLOGY
TOP OF PAGE
Extraterrestrial life. Sylvia Engdahl, book editor.
Detroit, Greenhaven Press/Thomson Gale, c2006. 171 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.E9456 2006
Ferris, Timothy. Life beyond earth. New York, Simon & Schuster,
2000. 222 p.
Text includes colored illustrations.
QB54.F415 2000
Goldsmith, Donald, and Tobias Owen. The search for life in
the universe. 3rd ed. Sausalito, CA, University Science Books, c2002.
573 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.G58 2002
Halpern, Paul. The quest for alien planets: exploring worlds
outside the solar system. New York, Plenum Trade, c1997. 293 p.
Bibliography: p. 273-284.
QB54.H285 1997
Heidmann, Jean. Extraterrestrial intelligence. Translated by
Storm Dunlop. 2nd ed. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University
Press, 1997. 243 p.
Bibliography: p. 235-236.
Translation of Intelligences extra-terrestres.
QB54.H39613 1997 <SciRR>
Koerner, David, and Simon LeVay. Here be dragons: the scientific
quest for extraterrestrial life. New York, Oxford University Press,
2000. 264 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.K54 2000
Parker, Barry R. Alien life: the search for extraterrestrials
and beyond. New York, Plenum Trade, c1998. 254 p.
Bibliography: 243-247.
QB54.P33 1998
Shostak, G. Seth. Sharing the universe: perspectives on extraterrestrial
life. Berkeley, CA, Berkeley Hills Books, c1998. 206 p.
QB54.S56 1998
Shostak, G. Seth., and Alex Barnett. Cosmic company: the search for life
in the universe. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2003. 161 p.
QB54.S55 2003
Ward, Peter Douglas, and Donald Brownlee. Rare earth: why
complex life is uncommon in the universe. New York, Copernicus, c2004.
335 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.W336 2004 <SciRR>
TOP OF PAGE
General
Astrobiology: future perspectives. Edited by Pascale Ehrenfreund
and others. Dordrecht, Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers, c2004.
512 p. (Astrophysics and space science library, v. 305)
Includes bibliographical references.
“ISSI Workshop (2003: Bern, Switzerland).”
QH325.A77 2004
Astrobiology: the quest for the conditions of life. Gerda Horneck and Christa
Baumstark-Khan, editors. Berlin, New York, Springer, c2002. 411 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.A78 2002
Basalla, George. Civilized life in the universe: scientists
on intelligent extraterrestrials. Oxford, New York, Oxford University
Press, 2006. 233 p.
Bibliography: p. 209-227.
QB54.B37 2006
Extraterrestrials--where are they? Edited by Ben Zuckerman and
Michael H. Hart. 2nd ed. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University
Press, 1995. 239 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
"The purpose of a second edition ... is to enlarge upon and update issues
that were debated in 1978 at a two-day symposium of the same name."
QB54.E95 1995
Gardner, James N. Intelligent universe: AI, ET, and the emerging
mind of the cosmos. Franklin Lakes, NJ, New Page Books, 2007. 269
p.
Bibliography: p. 257-263.
QH327.G37 2007
Jakosky, Bruce M. The search for life on other planets. Cambridge,
New York, Cambridge University Press, c1998. 326 p.
Bibliography: p. 310-323.
QB54.J25 1998 <SciRR>
Jones, Barrie William. Life in the solar system and beyond. London,
New York, Springer; Chichester, Eng., Praxis Pub., c2004. 317 p.
Bibliography: p. 303-307.
QB981.J66 2004
Origins: genesis, evolution, and diversity of life. Edited by
Joseph Seckbach. Dordrecht, Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers,
c2004. 707 p. (Cellular origins, life in extreme habitats and astrobiology,
v. 6)
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.O6917 2004
Plaxco, Kevin W., and Michael Gross. Astrobiology: a brief
introduction. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 259 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.P57 2006 <SciRR>
Sagan, Carl. Carl Sagan's cosmic connection: an extraterrestrial
perspective. Produced by Jerome Agel, new contributions by Freeman
Dyson, Ann Druyan, and David Morrison. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge
University Press, 2000. 302 p.
Originally published: The cosmic connection. New York, Doubleday, 1973.
QB54.S24 2000
Webb, Stephen. If the universe is teeming with aliens . .
. where is everybody? fifty solutions to the Fermi paradox and
the problem
of extraterrestrial life. New York, Copernicus Books in association
with Praxis Pub., c2002. 288 p.
Bibliography: p. 275-282.
QB54.W384 2002
Historical
Crowe, Michael J. The extraterrestrial life debate, 1750-1900.
Mineola, NY, Dover Publications, 1999. 680 p.
Bibliography: p. 560-657.
Originally published: Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University Press, 1986.
QB54.C76 1999 <SciRR>
Dick, Steven J. The biological universe: the twentieth-century extraterrestrial
life debate and the limits of science. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University
Press, 1996. 578 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.D47 1999 <SciRR>
Dick, Steven J., and James E. Strick. The living universe:
NASA and the development of astrobiology. New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers
University Press, c2004. 308 p.
Bibliography: p. 287-293.
QH325.D53 2004
Fontenelle, M. de. Conversations on the plurality of worlds. Translation by H. A. Hargreaves. Berkeley, University of California
Press, c1990. 82 p.
Bibliography: p. 75-82.
Translation of Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes.
QB54.F613 1990
Guthke, Karl Siegfried. The last frontier: imagining other
worlds, from the Copernican revolution to modern science fiction. Translated
by Helen Atkins. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 1990. 402
p.
Includes bibliographical references.
Translation of Der Mythos der Neuzeit.
Q125.G96513 1990
Life on Mars
Bergreen, Laurence. Voyage to Mars: NASA’s search for life beyond
Earth. New York, Riverhead Books, 2000.
355 p.
Bibliography: p. 343-345.
QB641.B467 2000
Chambers, Paul. Life on Mars: the complete story. London, Blandford,
1999. 221 p.
Bibliography: p. 205-216.
QB641.C43 1999
Cohen, Jack, and Ian Stewart. What does a martian look like?
the science of extraterrestrial life. Hoboken, NJ, J. Wiley, c2002.
369 p.
Bibliography: p. 346-353.
First published in the United Kingdom by Ebury Press in 2002 under the title
Evolving the alien.
QB54.C64 2002
Exobiology in the solar system and the search for life on
Mars: report from the ESA Exobiology Team Study, 1997-1998. Scientific
coordinators: André Brack, Brian Fitton, and François
Raulin. Edited by Andrew Wilson. Noordwijk, Netherlands, ESA Publications
Division, c1999. 188 p. (ESA SP, 1231)
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.E92 1999
Sawyer, Kathy. The rock from Mars: a detective story on two
planets. New York, Random House, c2006. 394 p.
Bibliography: p. 373-375.
QB54.S263 2006
For Younger Readers
Asimov, Isaac. Is there life in outer space? Revisions and updating by Richard
Hantula. Milwaukee, Gareth Stevens Pub., 2005. 32 p.
Rev. and updated ed. of: Aliens and extraterrestrials, 1995.
QB54.A835 2005
Donald, Rhonda Lucas. Life on other planets. New York, Franklin
Watts, c2003. 63 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.D66 2003
Doyle, Bill. The space explorer’s guide to the search for
life in the universe. With Rachel Connolly, Ryan Wyatt, and Jim
Sweitzer. New York, Scholastic, c2004. 48 p.
QB54.D69 2004
Getz, David. Life on Mars. Rev. ed. New York, H. Holt, 2004.
85 p.
QB54.G48 2004
Mist, Rosalind. Is there life on other planets? the planets
of our solar system. Chicago, Heinemann Library, 2006. 48 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB501.3.M56 2006
Nardo, Don. Extraterrestrial life. San Diego, Lucent Books, 2004.
112 p.
Bibliography: p. 97-99.
QB54.N37 2004
Nardo, Don. The search for extraterrestrial life. San Diego,
Lucent Books, 2006. 112 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QB54.N3725 2006
TOP OF PAGE
Boss, Alan. Looking for earths: the race to find new solar systems. New
York, John Wiley, c1998. 240 p.
Bibliography: p. 221-232.
QB820.B68 1998
Fenchel, Tom. Origin and early evolution of life. Oxford, New York, Oxford
University Press, 2002. 171 p.
Bibliography: p. 157-159.
QH325.F42 2002
Luisi, P. L. The emergence of life: from chemical origins to synthetic
biology. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, c2006. 315 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.L85 2006
Lurquin, Paul F. The origins of life and the universe. New York, Columbia
University Press, c2003. 217 p.
Bibliography: p. 201-203.
QH325.L87 2003
Making contact: a serious handbook for locating and communicating
with extraterrestrials. Edited by Bill Fawcett. New York, Morrow, 1997. 367 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
TL789.M238 1997
Michaud, Michael A. G. Contact with alien civilizations: our hopes
and fears about encountering extraterrestrials. New York, Springer, c2007. 460
p.
Bibliography: p. 378-449.
BF2050.M532 2007
Ulmschneider, P. Intelligent life in the universe: principles and
requirements behind its emergence. 2nd ed. Berlin, New York, Springer-Verlag, c2006.
310 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.U46 2006
Verschuur, Gerrit L. The invisible universe: the story of radio astronomy. 2nd ed. New York, Springer, c2007. 156 p.
QB475.V47 2007 <SciRR>
Zubay, Geoffrey L. Origins of life on the earth and in the cosmos. 2nd
ed. San Diego, Academic Press, c2000.
564 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.Z83 2000 <SciRR>
TOP OF PAGE
Angelo, Joseph A. The extraterrestrial encyclopedia: our
search for life in outer space. Rev. and updated. New York, Facts On File,
c1991. 240 p.
Bibliography: p. 227-230.
QB54.A523 1991 <SciRR>
Annual review of astronomy and astrophysics. Palo Alto, CA, Annual Reviews,
c1963- .
Latest edition kept in SciRR.
Also issued online: http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/astro
QB1.A2884 <SciRR>
Darling, David J. The extraterrestrial encyclopedia: an alphabetical
reference to all life in the universe. New York, Three Rivers Press, c2000. 513 p.
QB54.D365 2000 <SciRR>
Hollar, David W. The origin and evolution of life on earth: an annotated
bibliography. Pasadena, CA, Salem Press, c1992. 235 p.
Z5322.E9H65 1992 <SciRR>
McConnell, Brian. Beyond contact: a guide to SETI and communicating
with alien civilizations. Beijing, Sebastopol, CA, O’Reilly, c2001. 417
p.
Bibliography: p. 401-402.
QB54.M23 2001 <SciRR>
Shneour, Elie A., and Eric A. Ottesen. Extraterrestrial life: an anthology
and bibliography. Washington, National Academy of Sciences-National Research
Council, 1966. 478 p. (National Research Council, Publication no. 1296A)
Prepared under the guidance of the Study Group on Biology and the Exploration
of Mars of the Space Science Board.
QB54.S54 <SciRR>
Goodwin, Simon, and John Gribbin. XTL: extraterrestrial life and how
to find it. London, Cassell & Co., 2001. 191 p.
QB54.G63 2001 <SciRR>
TOP OF PAGE
Conference on Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life (7th, 2003, Trieste,
Italy). Life in the universe: from the Miller experiment to the search
for life on other worlds. Edited by Joseph Seckbach and others. Dordrecht, Boston,
Kluwer Academic Publishers, c2004. 387 p. (Cellular origin and life in extreme
habitats and astrobiology, v. 7)
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.C76 2003
European Workshop on Exo-Astrobiology (2nd, 2002, Graz, Austria). Proceedings
of the Second European Workshop on Exo-Astrobiology: 16-19 September
2002, Graz, Austria. Organized by the Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian
Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Institute of Geophysics, Astrophysics
and Meteorology (IGAM) of the University of Graz, and others. Editor, Huguette
Lacoste. Noordwijk, Netherlands, ESA Publications Division, c2002. 625 p.
(ESA SP, 518)
Includes bibliographical references.
"The Graz meeting was the second workshop of EANA, the European Exo/Astrobiology
Network Association."
QB54.E83 2002
International Astronomical Union. Symposium (213th, 2002, Hamilton Island,
Qld.). Bioastronomy 2002: life among the stars: proceedings of the 213th
symposium of the International Astronomical Union held at Hamilton
Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Edited by Ray P. Norris and Frank H. Stootman.
San Francisco, Published on behalf of the IAU by Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, c2004. 576 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
Includes compact disk of the proceedings of the Australian-American Fulbright
Symposium 2002: "Science education in partnership," held concurrently
with the IAU 213 Bioastronomy conference.
QB54.I57 2002 <MRC>
Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution. (6th, 2000, Trieste, Italy)
First steps in the origin of life in the universe: proceedings of the
sixth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution, Trieste, Italy, 18-22 September,
2000. Edited by Julián Chela-Flores, Tobias Owen, and François
Raulin. Dordrecht, Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers, c2001. 428 p.
Includes bibliographical references.
QH325.T74 2000
TOP OF PAGE
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS can be identified and located by going to individual
organizations’ Web sites, some of which are listed below in the section
Additional Sources of Information, or by searching the Monthly Catalog
of U.S. Government Publications. Older government publications may be identified
by using the Government Reports and Monthly Catalog indexes; selected indexes
and publications are listed below.
Government Reports Announcements & Index (1946-1996)
Z7916.G78 <SciRRI> and Electronic format
(See also NTIS index on microfiche in SciRR.)
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (1895- )
Z1223.A18 <SciRR> and Electronic format
URL: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F (Jan. 1994- )
NTIS bibliographic database
Index on microfiche (1964-1983)
Uncataloged <SciRR>and Electronic format
URL: http://www.ntis.gov
Scientific & technical information network (STINET) (1974- ; Full-text
1998- )
URL: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/prodsrvc/stinet.html and Electronic format
Selected Government Documents
The Blue Dot Workshop spectroscopic search for life on extrasolar
planets.
Moffett Field, CA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research
Center, 1997. 39 p. (NASA conference publication, no. 10154) (NASA-CP-101154)
URL: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19970018294_1997027715.pdf (2.57
MB)
(The freely available Adobe
Acrobat Reader is required to view and print this resource.)
Graham, Robert W. Extraterrestrial life in the universe. Washington, NASA,
1990. 8 p. (NASA technical memorandum, 102363)
Includes bibliographical references.
URL: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS67361
Physical and chemical study of minerals and rocks containing low-Z
compounds of interest to astrobiology and origin of life. Mountain View, CA, Search
for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Inst.; Washington, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, 1999. 14 p. (N20000033843)
Sandford, Scott A., and others. The AstroBiology Explorer (ABE) MIDEX
mission concept using infrared spectroscopy to identify organic
molecules in space. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, Astrobiology Science
Conference 2002.
Document ID: 20070000527
Online preprint: http://www.astrochem.org/pubs/Sandford2002_NASA_LAW.pdf (126
KB)
(The freely available Adobe
Acrobat Reader is required to view and print this resource.)
TOP OF PAGE
Abstracting and Indexing Services that index relevant journal
articles and other literature in the field are listed below. Consult
a reference librarian for the location of abstracting and indexing
services in the Science Reading Room.
The following print indexes are available in most public and academic
libraries:
Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts (1969-2000)
Z5153.A862 A&I <SciRR>
An on-line version, without the summaries of the papers, is available in the
database ARIBIB of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (http://www.ari.uni-heidelberg.de/aribib/)
Biological Abstracts (1926- )
QH301.B37 A&I <SciRR>
International Aerospace Abstracts (1961- )
TL500.I57 A&I <SciRR>
Science Abstracts (1898-1902)
Q1.S3 A&I <SciRR>
Science Abstracts, Series A, Physics Abstracts (1966- )
QC1.P46 A&I <SciRR>
Science Citation Index (1964- )
Z7401.S365 A&I <SciRR> and Electronic
format
The electronic indexes listed below may only be available at a large
public or academic library. The Library of Congress has subscriptions
to these resources which are available to on-site researchers at the Library
of Congress. Consult a reference librarian for the location and format
of abstracting and indexing services in the Science Reading Room.
Academic Search Premier
Applied Science & Technology Full Text
InfoTrac OneFile
ProQuest Science Journals & Research Library
Readers Guide Full Text
Web of Science
Wilson General Science Abstracts
TOP OF PAGE
Journals that often contain relevant articles include the following:
Acta Astronomica |
QB1.A1715 |
Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics |
QB1.A2884 |
Astrobiology |
QH327.A86 |
Astronomy |
QB1.A7998 |
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |
TK9145.A84 |
International Journal of Astrobiology |
QH325.I49 |
Mercury |
QB1.M43 |
Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere:
the Journal of the International Society for the Study of
the Origin of Life |
QH325.S68 |
Sky and Telescope |
QB1.S536 |
TOP OF PAGE
Caglioti, Luciano, and others. Astrobiology and biological chirality.
Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere, v. 36, Dec. 2006: 459-466.
QH325.S68
Cavicchioli, R. Extremophiles and the search for extraterrestrial life.
Astrobiology, v. 2, Aug. 2002: 281-292.
QH327.A86
Chyba, Christopher F., and Kevin P. Hand. Astrobiology: the study of the
living universe. Annual review of astronomy and astrophysics, v. 43, Sept.
2005: 31-74.
QB1.A2884
Fox, Douglas. Life but not as we know it: who says aliens have to be based
on carbon and water? The search for ET just got a whole lot weirder. New
scientist, v. 194, June 9, 2007: 34-39.
Q1.N52
Grady, Monica M. Astrobiology: the search for life beyond the Earth.
Geology today, v. 19, May 2003: 99-103.
QE1.G5285
Hazen, Robert. What is life? If we encountered alien life, chances are
we wouldn't recognise it--not even if it was here on Earth. New scientist,
v. 192, Nov. 18, 2006: 46-51.
Q1.N52
Kaltenegger, Lisa. Searching for Earth’s history among Earth-like
worlds. Mercury, v. 36, winter 2007: 20-25.
QB1.M43
Longstaff, Alan. Quest for a living universe. Astronomy, v. 33, Apr. 2005:
28-34.
QB1.A7998
Raulin, François. Why an astrobiological study of Titan will help
us understand the origin of life. Origins of life and evolution of the
biosphere,
v. 37, Oct. 2007: 345-349.
QH325.S68
Reichhardt, Tony. Can we hear them now? Air and space Smithsonian, v.
22, July 2007: 24-27.
TL501.A55257
Seager, Sara. Searching for signs of life. Astronomy, v. 34, May 2006:
62-67.
QB1.A7998
Tarter, Jill. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Annual review
of astronomy and astrophysics. v. 39, 2001: 511-548.
QB1.A2884
Zimmer, Carl. Aliens among us: do we share our planet with alternative
forms of life? Discover, v. 28, July, 2007: 62-65.
Q1.D57
TOP OF PAGE
Selected materials available in the Science Reading Room pamphlet
boxes include the following:
Bova, Ben. Are we alone? In his Faint echoes, distant
stars: the science and politics of finding life beyond Earth. New York,
Morrow, c2004. p. 7-18.
Brownlee, Christen. Is anybody out there? Science news, v. 169, Jan. 21, 2006:
42-44.
URL: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060121/bob10.asp
Dick, Steven J. Anthropology and the search for extraterrestrial
intelligence. Anthropology today, v. 22, April 2006: 3-7.
Sacks, Oliver. Anybody out there? Astrobiology magazine.
Part I - Dec. 9, 2002. Part II - Dec 16, 2002.
URL (Part I): http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=327
URL (Part II): http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=331
Sagan, Carl. Extraterrestrial life: an idea whose time has come.
In Carl Sagan's cosmic connection: an extraterrestrial perspective.
Produced by Jerome Agel, new contributions by Freeman Dyson, Ann
Druyan, and David Morrison. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University
Press, 2000. p. 192-198.
The world’s oldest bacteria. Based on a University of Copenhagen
news release. Astrobiology magazine. Sept. 2, 2007.
URL: http://www.astrobio.net/news/print.php?sid=2447
TOP OF PAGE
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
Telephone: (415) 337-1100
Fax: (415) 337-5205
URL: http://www.astrosociety.org/index.html
Publishers of Mercury magazine.
Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts
60 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Telephone: (617) 495-9059
URL: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute
515 N. Whisman Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
Telephone: (650) 961-6633
Fax: (650) 961-7099
URL: http://www.seti.org/
The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the
origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe.
TOP OF PAGE
Ebooks
An astrobiology strategy for the exploration of Mars. Washington, National
Academies Press, c2007. 118 p.
URL: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11937.html
Life in the universe: an assessment of U.S. and international programs
in astrobiology. Space Studies Board. Board on Life Sciences. National
Research Council of the National Academies. Washington, National Academies
Press, c2003. 48 p.
URL: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084962
Web Sites
Astrobiology Magazine
URL: http://astrobio.net/news/
NASA Ames Astrobiology Portal (Chief Editor & Executive Producer: Helen
Matsos)
International Astronomical Union (IAU)
URL: http://www.iau.org
Bioastronomy: Search for Extraterrestrial Life was established as Commission
51 of the IAU in 1982. The objectives of the commission include: the search
for planets around other stars, the search for radio transmissions of extraterrestrial
origin, the search for biologically relevant interstellar molecules and the
study of their formation processes, detection methods for potential spectroscopic
evidence of biological activity, the coordination of efforts in all these areas
at the international level, and the establishment of collaborative programs
with other international scientific societies with related interests.
NASA Astrobiology Institute
URL: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/
NAI carries out collaborative research and education in astrobiology and supports
investigation of the questions of how life begins and evolves, whether there
is life elsewhere in the Universe, and what the future of life on Earth and
beyond might be. It serves as a portal to space for the scientific community,
with resources such as the NAI Library, and Ask An Astrobiologist.
Space Studies Board, National Academy of Sciences
URL: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/
The SSB provides an independent, authoritative forum for all aspects of space
science and applications, and it serves as the focal point within the National
Academies for activities on space research.
Open-Source Databases
ADS: The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System
URL: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/
ARIBIB: Astronomisches Rechen-Institut BIBliographical Database for
Astronomical References
URL: http://www.ari.uni-heidelberg.de/aribib/
GrayLit Network: A Science Portal of Technical Reports
URL: http://www.osti.gov/RETIRED/graylit/index.html
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
URL: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp
|