Abstract
In 1997, NASA launched a new program called Astrobiology as a complement to the broader Origins Program.
Astrobiology is the scientific study of the living universe; its past, present, and future. It starts with investigating life on Earth, the only place where life is known to exist, and extends into the farthest reaches of the cosmos. It ranges in time from the big bang and continues on into the future.*
At that time, it was hard for us to identify a real difference with the historical name of exobiology, and we had the feeling that the new name astrobiology was essentially political: any new program requires a new name to appear really new and “scientifically sexy.” It was even harder for us to convince ESA (the European Space Agency) and CNES (the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) to replace exobiology with astrobiology in the computers, to follow the NASA initiative. In France, irreducible exobiologists continued to collaborate within the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) working group “Groupe de recherche en exobiologie” chaired successively by François Raulin and Frances Westall and within the CNES Groupe de travail en exobiologie.
At the European level, the question of the chemical origins of life can be traced back to the pioneer ideas of Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, and Alexander Oparin. During the last decades, the European community of origin-of-life-scientists has organized 8 out of the 13 International Conferences on the Origins of Life (ISSOL) held since 1957. This community has also greatly contributed to enlarging the field of research to the study of life in extreme environments and to the search for extraterrestrial life.
In 1999, Gerda Horneck, the late David Wynn-Williams, Beda Hofmann, and I considered that there would be real interest for Europe to create a European network to help European researchers in this quickly evolving interactive field share their knowledge, to foster their cooperation, to attract young scientists, and to explain our work to the public at large (Brack et al., 2001). Then the difficult problem of naming arose. The historical pioneers from Germany and France were in favor of keeping exobiology, but newcomers (UK, Spain, and Italy) preferred astrobiology, considered as more fashionable and modern. A temporary compromise was found with exo/astrobiology.
The compromise, built on shared goodwill, allows EANA, the European Exo/Astrobiology Network Association • to bring together European researchers connected with the development of science and technology programs directly or indirectly related to exo/astrobiology and to foster their cooperation. • to give each nation the opportunity to promote its own research strengths and resources relevant to exo/astrobiology and offer collaborative links with like-minded scientists. • to assess the extent of interest and resources for exo/astrobiology within Europe. • to attract young scientists to this quickly evolving interactive field of research. • to highlight potentially rewarding research directions, ensure optimal returns for effort, optimize the application of the expertise available, and minimize unnecessary duplication of effort within Europe or elsewhere. • to initiate the establishment of a database of expertise in different aspects of exo/astrobiology. • to encourage small international follow-on workshops devoted to specialist areas of the field. • to enable delegates to learn the scientific potential of the discipline and share expertise. • to help promote exobiology activities in those European countries with not yet fully active programs. • to seek financial support from European bodies such as ESA, the European Commission, and the European Science Foundation. • to discuss the interaction between a European Exo/Astrobiology network and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), which is keen to promote international collaboration and is already associated with some European initiatives for mutual benefit.
EANA is affiliated with NAI. The formal affiliation was signed in 2002 at the Graz Workshop by Rosalind Grymes, Deputy Director of NAI, during a reception hosted by the Governor of Styria in the historical Eggenberg Castle.
After this bridge-building transition phase, EANA finally turned to astrobiology. Today, the network, which I had the privilege of chairing until 2005 and which is presently chaired by Gerda Horneck, includes 19 European countries.
At the beginning, I had difficulties, as a chemist of the origin of life, adopting the word exobiology, which tends to exclude the Earth from the game. Finally, I considered that primitive life was probably so much different from present life that it could be considered as “exo.” But I was reluctant to follow NASA's new terminology, for which I could hardly find a real scientific justification. In my opinion, astrobiology is etymological nonsense since it literally means “life in the stars.” If the terminology has to be changed, I would by far prefer cosmobiology, which defines life in the Cosmos. I realize that cosmo “sounds Russian” (kosmonaut, kosmodrom), but fortunately today the Cold War belongs to the past. At a memorable wine and food evening session during an exobiological/astrobiological meeting held in July 1998 at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, at the Tokyo University in Japan, the term cosmobiology was subjected to a vote and was adopted by a large majority.
Irrespective of its denomination, astrobiology, exobiology, bioastronomy, or cosmobiology, our discipline is a fascinating field of research providing great excitement and requiring imagination as well as collaboration between scientists in astronomy, astrophysics, planetology, geology, paleontology, biology, and chemistry. By demonstrating in 1953 that it was possible to form amino acids from methane, a simple organic molecule containing only one carbon atom, Stanley Miller generated the ambitious hope that chemists would be able to create life in a test tube. Despite the tremendous efforts of chemists tackling the problem, it must be acknowledged that the dream has not yet been accomplished. The chances of success will obviously depend upon the simplicity of the chemical reactions leading to life. The discovery of a second genesis of life on another celestial body would demonstrate the ubiquity of living matter and the relative simplicity of its emergence. The quest for a second genesis is supported by the long-lasting societal question “Is there life out there?” already raised by the Greek philosophers. Today, we have the tools to make this old dream a reality. The road has been long since we started the adventure, but now it is a well-established science recognized by space and funding agencies. The driving force was undoubtedly the goodwill of exceptional scientists from very different disciplines combining their efforts. On a more personal level, I have enjoyed a fascinating professional activity and have been able to appreciate the great pleasure of discovery. The discovery of a second genesis of life on an extraterrestrial body is the ultimate goal of our discipline. Such a discovery would strongly support the idea that the genesis of life is a simple process and, therefore, probably common in the Universe. The Earth would thus be drawn out of its cosmic solitude. Many scientists are convinced that microbial life is not restricted to the Earth, but such conviction needs now to be supported by eagerly awaited facts and acts.
Abbreviations
EANA, the European Exo/Astrobiology Network Association; ISSOL, the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life; NAI, the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
Footnotes
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