NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

California Academy of Sciences

The more we study life on Earth, the more we learn how amazingly resilient it is. Virtually everywhere we look, even in places previously thought to be completely inhospitable to life, we find creatures not just surviving, but thriving. W e find organisms evolved to take advantage of nearly every form of energy and to exploit every available resource. As our knowledge about life has grown in recent decades, so has the idea that Earth might not be the only place that life could survive. The original astrobiology exhibit developed in collaboration with CAS/SETI and NAI lead teams drew an audience of 200,000 to the exhibit entitled “Astrobiology: Life in the Extremes”.
The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) exhibit entitled “Xtreme Life” opened this Spring in San Francisco, California, reaching 90,000 visitors since May 2006. The NASA Ames Astrobiology team partnered with CAS to create the astrobiology exhibit. Dr. Tori Hoehler was the principal astrobiology expert on the science panel for the exhibit development. He participated in each aspect of the design process, from initial concept to the final review. Visitors to the California Academy of Sciences are introduced to how Astrobiologists – scientists interested in the understanding the prospects for life beyond Earth – study life in some of Earth’s most extreme environments in order to understand the full range of life’s capabilities and limitations. By comparing these findings to the range of environmental conditions presented by other bodies in the solar system, we identify potentially habitable environments beyond Earth. The new Academy exhibit, “Xtreme Life” gives visitors a chance to examine some of these Earthly extreme environments and the amazing life forms that inhabit them, and explores the possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. By researching how life survives in hostile environments, like geysers and Polar Regions, scientists can make better educated guesses about where to look for life in our solar system.

Learn more at: http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/xtremelife/life_on_earth.php

Source material was provided to the docents to enhance the visitor experience as they connect with the exhibit. Dr. Carol Tang was the Co-Investigator for NASA Ames and the lead on the design and development team, which included CAS curators, staff, and outside consultants. The next phase is to begin the planning and design process for the new CAS facility opening in 2008 in Golden Gate Park, California.