Exobiology is the study of potential forms of life that exist outside of Earth’s environment. Exobiologists spend their time searching for definitive proof of alien life and figuring out how life could potentially survive elsewhere in the universe, despite the fact that they have yet to find it. Exobiologists and government space agencies can collaborate closely.
Exobiologists, who use evolutionary theory in their research, are fascinated by the origin of life. Exobiology encompasses any scientific field that can shed light on the origins of life and how it interacts with its surroundings. Exobiologists include geneticists, microbiologists, and even non-biological experts like geologists.
Geneticists and evolutionary biologists can investigate the genetic forms of organisms that exist on Earth, place these survival mechanisms in the context of the environment, and propose various theories about how organisms can live on different planets. Microbiologists enter the field of exobiology because their field of expertise, microbes, can be found in a variety of environments all over the world. Details of bacteria and other microscopic organisms that live in extreme environments, unlike any other form of organism, are an important source of useful exobiology information.
Exobiologists can learn about potential pathways for life to develop and thrive by studying unusual forms of life on Earth. Exobiologists can theorize about how similar forms of life could grow in environments with similar conditions using bacteria that can grow using arsenic, a metal that is normally toxic. Bacteria that can survive in extremely hot temperatures can also provide insight into how life might have survived in the early days of an Earth-like planet, when temperatures were similar.
Exobiologists may also be able to examine samples from space, such as meteorites or rock samples taken directly from the moon or planets like Mars. He or she may have also looked up the telltale fossil marks left by prehistoric organisms on Earth’s rocks and compared them to the sample rocks to find possible fossil remnants. Exobiologists can use the data they collect on Earth to figure out what marks on an alien rock might mean.
Exobiologists can also specialize in the analysis of images taken of other planets. Even if the signs of water sources or seas are ancient, they may be able to recognize them. Some exobiologists look at the concentrations of certain elements on other planets to see if the composition of the atmosphere, for example, indicates the presence of life. Exobiologists had not yet found definitive evidence of life outside Earth as of 2011, and interpretations of possible signs of life can be contentious.