Life Archives | Filling Space

Will humans inevitably cause microbial colonization of space?

One area of concern in space exploration is forward and backward contamination – bringing life forms from Earth to other places or vice versa. There…

Life

What is astrobiology and how does one enter the field?

Editor July 10, 2020 astrobiology biosignatures geology Mars Mars 2020 NASA organic material planetary science robotic missions SETI

Astrobiology is a rapidly growing area of space science. It is characterized by interdisciplinarity, bringing together perspectives from various scientific fields. It also addresses one…

Life

How did the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs cause extinction?

Editor May 8, 2020 asteroids dinosaurs ecology environmental change extinction mass extinctions meteorites the alkalinity pump the carbon cycle the Earth system

One of the best-known mass extinction events in Earth’s history was the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. Dinosaurs were among the species that perished. It is…

Life

What does Australia’s outback teach us about astrobiology?

Editor April 24, 2020 astrobiology Australia ExoMars2020 Mars Mars2020 NASA origins of life the European Space Agency the Outback Western Australia

How did life originate on Earth? This is still an open question. It is furthermore one that relates to the field of astrobiology – knowing…

Life

How big a deal is forward contamination of other planets?

Editor March 13, 2020 alien life astrobiology COSPAR forward contamination microbes science fiction Star Trek the Open University the Outer Space Treaty the Solar System

Forward contamination, meaning infecting other parts of the Solar System with life from Earth – how big a deal is it? Science fiction has long…

Life

How do meteorites’ impacts affect life?

Editor November 1, 2019 astrobiology bedrock craters deep environments impact craters meteorite impacts meteorites microorganisms panspermia planets

Fans of astrobiology may be aware of the theory of panspermia – that objects such as meteorites may carry life from one planet to another.…

Life

What’s it like working as an astrobiologist?

Editor August 16, 2019 asteroids astrobiology astronomy bacteria biology comets earth science exoplanets geology meteors

Astrobiology is a relatively recent area of study that investigates the origin and evolution of life in the universe. Being an astrobiologist combines perspectives from…

Life

How will humans be able to reach other worlds?

Editor July 26, 2019 artificial worlds astronomy hibernation interplanetary travel interstellar species multigenerational journeys propulsion mechanisms sleep regulation starships transhumanism

Other worlds are far away. If humanity is to become an interplanetary or interstellar species, how will humans make it so far? Some proposals include…

Life

How will humans live in space?

Editor June 7, 2019 3D printing architecture construction technologies extreme environments human factors design in situ resource utilization life support systems recyclable materials space architecture space exploration

How will humans live in space? Though we first visited another celestial body over a generation ago, we still have limited experience living off-planet permanently.…

Life

Featured Project: Space Origami

Editor March 19, 2019 aerospace engineering crowdfunding DNA DNA engineering material science microgravity microgravity experiments nanoscale engineering nanoscale structures the International Space Station

Space Origami is a team of science and engineering students that plans to use DNA to construct three-dimensional structures in outer space. After winning support…