In article , Pat Flannery wrote:
If you ever wonder if mission creep has defused NASA's ability to focus
its financial resources on space, or if it tries to be all things to all
people- like any swollen bureaucracy- have a peek at this news article,
and who co-sponsored this vital space-related research:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0202070018.htm

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astrobiology
Institute?

(Googling on that gets you some interesting press releases, BTW)

http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/ (which is v. interesting looking, is it not?)

"NAI carries out collaborative research and education in astrobiology,
the interdisciplinary science that seeks answers to these fundamental
questions. It supports investigation of these issues on Earth and serves
as a portal to space for the scientific community."

http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/roadmap/ discusses their goals.

They do have a biological/evolutionary remit - it's hard to see
precisely which bit this slots into, but it doesn't seem desperately out
of the beaten track (they do seem to prefer things without, you know,
multiple cells)

The two authors are given as from "NASA Astrobiology Institute and
Department of Biology" at psu.edu - Professor Hedges seems to be the
chap to contact if you want to ask for details, [sbhl at...] so go and
annoy him with enthusiastic comments about snakes and picky queries
about specific funding codes... ;-)

--
-Andrew Gray