Astrobiology: Life in the Universe

NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)


  1. Now showing: Year 2006 projects that addressed Astrobiology Roadmap Objective 4.3

  2. Roadmap Goal 4: Understand how past life on Earth interacted with its changing planetary and Solar System environment

    Objective 4.3: Effects of extraterrestrial events upon the biosphere

    Causes of mass extinctions: testing impact models

    TEAM: UW / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 4.3

    Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Earths Around Other Stars

    TEAM: VPL / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 4.3, 7.2

    Dynamics of comets, asteroids, and planets

    TEAM: UW / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 4.3

    Evolution of a Habitable Planet (Kump)

    TEAM: PSU / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.2, 6.1

    Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere (Ohmoto)

    TEAM: PSU / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 2.1, 4.1, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 7.1

    Extraterrestrial Impact History on Earth

    TEAM: UCLA / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.3

    Extraterrestrial Organics

    TEAM: UW / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3

    From Stars to Genes

    TEAM: UCLA / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1, 4.3

    Habitable Planets

    TEAM: ARC / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.1, 4.3

    Impacts and extinction

    TEAM: UW / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2, 4.3, 6.1

    Model Synthesis and Architecture

    TEAM: VPL / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 1.2, 4.1, 4.3, 7.2

    Module 1: The Building Blocks of Life

    TEAM: UA / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.1, 3.2, 4.3

    Prebiotic Organics from Space

    TEAM: ARC / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 3.1, 3.4, 4.3, 7.1, 7.2

    Search for impacts at extinction boundaries using 3He

    TEAM: UW / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2, 4.3, 6.1

    Terrestrial analog study: Sierra Madera impact structure, Texas

    TEAM: UH / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 4.3

    The Astrophysical Environment and Planetary and Lunar Habitability

    TEAM: VPL / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1, 4.3, 6.1, 6.2

    The Deep Impact Mission and Astrobiology

    TEAM: UH / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2, 4.3

    The impact of atmospheric particles on life

    TEAM: CUB / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.3

    Understanding Mars subsurface methane hydrates and brines and potentials for microbial habitats

    TEAM: IPTAI / ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1, 4.3, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2

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  • Change the project list by adding or removing a roadmap objective. Click an objective to add, click the [x] to remove.

  • 1.1 Models of formation and evolution of habitable planets
  • 1.2 Indirect and direct astronomical observations of extrasolar habitable planets
  • 2.1 Mars exploration
  • 2.2 Outer Solar System exploration
  • 3.1 Sources of prebiotic materials and catalysts
  • 3.2 Origins and evolution of functional biomolecules
  • 3.3 Origins of energy transduction
  • 3.4 Origins of cellularity and protobiological systems
  • 4.1 Earth's early biosphere
  • 4.2 Foundations of complex life
  • 5.1 Environment-dependent, molecular evolution in microorganisms
  • 5.2 Co-evolution of microbial communities
  • 5.3 Biochemical adaptation to extreme environments
  • 6.1 Environmental changes and the cycling of elements by the biota, communities, and ecosystems
  • 6.2 Adaptation and evolution of life beyond Earth
  • 7.1 Biosignatures to be sought in Solar System materials
  • 7.2 Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems

  • Change the project list by adding or removing a team. Click a team to add, click the [x] to remove.

  • Indiana University, Bloomington
  • NASA Ames Research Center
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • University of Arizona
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Colorado, Boulder
  • University of Hawaii
  • University of Washington
  • Virtual Planetary Laboratory (JPL/CalTech)