Current Aspects of Exobiology

G. Mamikunian, M. H. Briggs, G. Mamikunian, M. H. Briggs

• Publisher: Pergamon
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781483200477
• eBook ISBN:
  9781483225500
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Current Aspects of Exobiology covers the philosophical aspects, scientific approach, and related research problems in exobiology. Most of the chapters are presented at the Current Research in Exobiology Symposium, held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on February 26-28, 1963. This book is composed of 10 chapters and begins with an overview of the nature and occurrence of extraterrestrial living matter. The next chapters survey certain line of evidence concerning extraterrestrial life, including investigation of organo-chemical evolution, organic remains in meteorites, microorganisms of Middle Precambrian Age, and the survival capabilities and the performance of earth organisms in simulated extraterrestrial environments. These topics are followed by discussions on the interesting issues on the possibility of a primordial lunar life and the possibilities of life on mars. A chapter considers the various scientific efforts to detect life outside earth, including experiments on small, unmanned biological laboratories to the surfaces of the planets. Another chapter looks into the possibility of the accidental introduction of terrestrial microorganisms to other planets during the course of space exploration by unmanned spacecraft. The concluding chapters explore the potential of radio search for other intelligent species in space. Exobiologists and researchers in the related fields of exobiology who are interested in extraterrestrial life will find this book invaluable.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Current Aspects of Exobiology
• Copyright Page
• Table of Coctents
• PREFACE
• REFERENCES
• INTRODUCTION: WHY EXOBIOLOGY?
• CHAPTER I. INVESTIGATION OF ORGANO-CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
• CHAPTER II. ORGANIC REMAINS IN METEORITES
• CHAPTER III. MICROORGANISMS OF MIDDLE PRECAMBRIAN AGE FROM THE ANIMIKIE SERIES, ONTARIO, CANADA
• CHAPTER IV. THE SURVIVAL CAPABILITIES AND THE PERFORMANCE OF EARTH ORGANISMS IN SIMULATED EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS
• CHAPTER V. THE POSSIBILITY OF A PRIMORDIAL LUNAR LIFE
• CHAPTER VI. POSSIBILITIES OF LIFE ON MARS
• CHAPTER VII. LIFE-DETECTION EXPERIMENTS
• CHAPTER VIII. BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION OF THE PLANETS
• CHAPTER IX. THE RADIO SEARCH FOR INTELLIGENT EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE
• CHAPTER X. TRENDS AND PROBLEMS IN EXOBIOLOGY