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Ask an Astrobiologist has received more than 2500 questions about Nibiru and 2012, with more than 200 answers posted. Please read a summary of the answers that have already been posted, view a video on these topics, use the search feature and read the FAQ’s before submitting questions on these topics.
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Question
Why do we (humans) need astrobiology?
One of the outstanding (and endearing) characteristics of humans is that we are curious about the way the world works. Scientists, especially, strive to understand where we came from and how we fit into the larger picture of life on Earth and in the universe. The basic questions of astrobiology -- How does life begin and evolve? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of life? -- are the sort of thing that people have been curious about since the beginning of recorded history. If by astrobiology you mean these three questions, then they have been with us for a very long time. To want to know the answers is a basic part of being human. If instead you are asking about the name "astrobiology" or the NASA programs that fund astrobiology research, that might indeed be a transient response. However, the questions themselves respond to to our innate curiosity about ourselves and our origins.
David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
December 1, 2003
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- Have aliens visited Earth? Are UFOs real?
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- Is it true that the Sun will be in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in December 2012 and that this will cause a pole shift and massive destruction.
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