The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge

Of potential interest:

astro-ph/0610926
Title: The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge
Authors: L. J. Mix, J. C. Armstrong, A. M. Mandell, et al.
Comments: 79 pages, published manuscript
Journal-ref: Astrobiology 2006, Vol 6, No 5, page 735

Astrobiology, the study of life as a planetary phenomenon, aims to
understand the fundamental nature of life on earth and the possibility
of life elsewhere. To achieve this goal, astrobiologists have
initiated unprecedented communication between the disciplines of
astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology. The Astrobiology Primer
has been created as a reference tool for those who are interested in
the interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. The field incorporates
many diverse research endeavors, but it is our hope that this slim
volume will present the reader with all he or she needs to know to
become involved and to understand, at least at a fundamental level,
the state of the art. Because of the great diversity of material, each
section was written by a different author with a different
expertise. The Primer was constructed collaboratively. Ninety
researchers from around the world contributed information with regard
to what they expected from other astrobiologists and what they would
like to know themselves but still had difficulty understanding (see
Contributors). Those submissions were read and considered by the
Editors who produced a list of seven general categories of knowledge,
represented by the seven chapters in the Primer: 1) Stellar Formation
and Evolution, 2) Planetary Formation and Evolution, 3)
Astrobiogeochemistry and the Origin of Life, 4) Evolution of Life
through Time, 5) Planet Detection & Characterization, 6) Diversity of
Life, and 7) Science in Space. No one volume, of course, can contain
the vast amount of information brought to play in astrobiology, but we
believe that the Primer will provide a forum and a language around
which the community will have the opportunity to develop a consensus
about central issues.

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