Astrobiology in Europe, 20 years of expectations

Abstract

During 20 years, the European astrobiologists collaborated within EANA, the European Astrobiology Network Association, to help European researchers developing astrobiology programmes to share their knowledge, to foster their cooperation, to attract young scientists to this quickly evolving interactive field of research, and to explain astrobiology to the public at large. The experiment of Stanley Miller in 1953 launched the ambitious hope that chemists would be able to shed light on the origins of life by recreating a simple life form in a test tube. However, the dream has not yet been accomplished, despite the great volume of effort and innovation put forward by the scientific community.

Special issue: Open questions and next steps in astrobiology in Europe – celebrating 20 years of EANA

“…Based on their observations, they conclude that phosphatase activity could act as an activity biomarker in extreme environments on the Earth and beyond. Brack (2022), (this issue) provides his own summary of the most important factors in the emergence of life: liquid water and the necessity of some form of wet-dry cycling; organic molecules of terrestrial or extraterrestrial origin; inorganic substrates, such as clays or silica gel providing attributes, such as protection, catalysation, serving as templates, absorption etc. ; a suitable environment, such as hydrothermal systems (subaqueous or subaerial); far from equilibrium wet-dry cycling reactants based on mineral surfaces in hydrothermal systems; an approach based on systems chemistry, which allows all the cellular subsystems to simultaneously emerge.…”