NASEM Report: NASA Should Expand Astrobiology Research

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recommends that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) should expand its astrobiology research missions to advance the search for life in the universe. The call was issued in a new report, “An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search of Life in the Universe”. According to the report, “NASA should support research on a broader range of biosignatures and environments, and incorporate the field of astrobiology into all stages of future exploratory missions.” Biosignatures are the lines of evidence used by researchers to search for current and past life on Earth and beyond. “An updated, more sophisticated catalog and framework will be important to enhance our ability to detect both life that might be similar to terrestrial life, and potential life that differs from life as we know it. The latter will be enabled by investigating novel “agnostic” biosignatures - signs of life that are not tied to a particular metabolism or molecular “blueprint,” or other characteristics of life as we currently know it,” reads the press release. The report also indicated that an interdisciplinary approach to astrobiology would produce a better understanding of life on Earth and other planets and urged NASA to work towards reducing any barriers to collaborative research. Collaborations with private, philanthropic, and international organizations, including...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news