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Defining the envelope for the search for life in the Universe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2010

Lynn J. Rothschild
Lynn J. Rothschild*
Affiliation:
Mail Stop 239-20, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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The search for life in the universe relies on defining the limits for life and finding suitable conditions for its origin and evolution elsewhere. From the biological perspective, a conservative approach uses life on earth to set constraints on the environments in which life can live. Conditions for the origin of life, even on earth, cannot yet be defined with certainty. Thus, we will describe what is known about conditions for the origin of life and limits to life on earth as a template for life elsewhere, with a particular emphasis on such physical and chemical parameters as temperature, pH, salinity, desiccation and radiation. But, other life forms could exist, thus extending the theoretical possibility for life elsewhere. Yet, this potential is not limitless, and so constraints for life in the universe will be suggested.

Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Highlights H15: Highlights of Astronomy , November 2009 , pp. 697 - 698
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

References

Rothschild, L. J. 2008, Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. B 363, 2787CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rothschild, L. J. 2009, in: Bertka, C. (ed.), Exploring the Origin, Extent and Future of Life, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), p. 113Google Scholar
Rothschild, L. J. & Mancinelli, R. L. 2001, Nature 409, 1092CrossRefGoogle Scholar