“Follow the Elements”

Astrobiology at Arizona State University



The Astrobiology Team at ASU “follows the elements” to help guide the exploration for life beyond Earth, in our Solar System and on planets orbiting other stars. We are one of fourteen teams that make up the NASA Astrobiology Institute, supported by a five year grant that began in 2009.

Our research is motivated by a simple observation: that life-as-we-know-it uses a non-random selection of the chemical elements. This observation prompts many questions:

  1. What are the rules that govern the selection of these “bioessential” elements?

  2. How might these elements differ in extreme environments on Earth or beyond?

  3. How common are the bioessential elements in the extraterrestrial environments that might harbor life?

  4. How are the distributions of these elements in the cosmos shaped by astrophysical processes?

We aspire to answer these questions through laboratory studies, field research and computational modeling. The answers will shape future exploration strategies.

To reach these goals we are training the astrobiology explorers of tomorrow, integrating multiple disciplines, degree programs and academic units at ASU and at collaborating institutions. Explore this site to learn more...

Watch this space for the latest on what’s happening in our group!

To be added to our Astrobiology email list, please contact astrobiology@asu.edu.

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Supported by the
NASA Astrobiology Institutehttp://nai.nasa.gov
Astrobiology Graduate Opportunities!
Ph.D. programs in Geological Sciences, Astrophysics, Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry../Graduate_Studies.html
Calendar of Eventshttp://astrobiology.asu.edu/Astrobiology/Events.html#widget1