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March 24, 1997
NASA Ames and UCSC researchers discuss collaborations in astrobiology
By Robert Irion
"Astrobiology," an intriguing new interdisciplinary research field spanning the origins and evolution of life on Earth and elsewhere, was the focus of a "gathering of minds" at UCSC on Saturday, March 22.
The workshop, held at the Earth and Marine Sciences Building, drew together scientists from UCSC and the NASA Ames Research Center to discuss astrobiology projects on which the two institutions might collaborate. Chancellor Greenwood and NASA Ames science administrator David Morrison both addressed the assembly.
The meeting illustrated NASA's desire to get university researchers across the country involved in its new "Origins" program--a major and long-term research direction to study life in its many possible manifestations. Further, the National Science Foundation has announced funding for projects in its "Life in Extreme Environments" program, ranging from the surfaces of other worlds to the deepest ocean vents on Earth.
"There is real research to be done in this interdisciplinary area," said meeting organizer David Deamer, research professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSC. "Collaborations exist between astronomers, biologists, and chemists here and at NASA Ames. We'd like to strengthen those ties and extend them into other areas as well." Those areas, he noted, could include evolutionary biology, molecular biology, earth sciences, marine sciences, and physics.
Examples of research in astrobiology, Deamer said, include the quest for extrasolar planets, a project in which UCO/Lick Observatory astronomers are participating; the search for past or present life on Mars; the origins of the first genetic systems and the first cells on Earth; the role of comet or meteorite impacts in the history of life on Earth; the genesis and survival of life in harsh conditions; and how life responds to diverse forces, such as climate changes and prolonged exposure to gravity.
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