NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

Harvard University

Executive Summary

Executive Summary - HAR

Project Reports

Environmental changes in the context of biological evolution during Neoproterozoic on the Yangtze Platform, a snowball Earth?

Evogenomics (Collaborative Focus Group Research)

The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: Geobiology of Neogene hematitic sedimentary rocks

The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: Molecular and isotopic approaches to microbial ecology and biogeochemistry

The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Environmental Change and Evolution

The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: Permo-Triassic mass extinction and its consequences

The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth's Surface

The use of living plants and fossil chemistry to study the morphological patterns and developmental processes of land plant evolution

EPO Reports

Project Reports

Organized by Astrobiology Roadmap Objective

Goal 1: Understand the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the Universe

• Objective 1: Determine whether the atmosphere of the early Earth, hydrothermal or exogenous matter were significant sources of organic matter. (Found: 1)

Goal 12:

• Objective 12: Define climatological and geological effects upon the limits of habitable zones around the Sun and other stars to help define the frequency of habitable planets in the universe. (Found: 4)

Goal 14:

• Objective 14: Determine the resilience of local and global ecosystems through their response to natural and human-induced disturbances. (Found: 3)

Goal 2: Explore for past or present habitable environments, prebiotic chemistry and signs of life elsewhere in our Solar System

• Objective 2: Develop and test plausible pathways by which ancient counterparts of membrane systems, proteins and nucleic acid were synthesized from simpler precursors and assembled into protocells. (Found: 1)

Goal 4: Understand how past life on Earth interacted with its changing planetary and Solar System environment

• Objective 4: Expand and interpret the genomic database of a select group of key microorganisms in order to reveal the history and dynamics of evolution. (Found: 2)

Goal 5: Understand the evolutionary mechanisms and environmental limits of life

• Objective 5: Describe the sequences of causes and effects associated with the development of Earth's early biosphere and the global environment. (Found: 8)

Goal 6: Understand the principles that will shape the future of life, both on Earth and beyond

• Objective 6: Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets. (Found: 1)

Goal 7: Determine how to recognize signatures of life on other worlds and on early Earth

• Objective 7: Identify the environmental limits for by examining biological adaptations to extremes in environmental conditions. (Found: 1)

Goal 8:

• Objective 8: Search for evidence of ancient climates, extinct life and potential habitats for extant life on Mars. (Found: 3)