Life on Earth and Other Planetary Bodies Cellular Origin Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology

A trio of editors [Professors from Austria, Germany and Israel] present Life on Earth and other Planetary Bodies. The contributors are from twenty various countries and present their research on life here as well as the possibility for extraterrestrial life. This volume covers concepts such as life’s origin, hypothesis of Panspermia and of life possibility in the Cosmos. The topic of extraterrestrial life is currently ‘hot’ and the object of several congresses and conferences. While the diversity of “normal” biota is well known, life on the edge of the extremophiles is more limited and less distributed. Other subjects discussed are Astrobiology with the frozen worlds of Mars, Europa and Titan where extant or extinct microbial life may exist in subsurface oceans; conditions on icy Mars with its saline, alkaline, and liquid water which has been recently discovered; chances of habitable Earth-like [or the terrestrial analogues] exoplanets; and SETI’s search for extraterrestrial Intelligence. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Pathways to Life on Earth and Other Planetary Bodies....Pages 1-8 Introduction....Pages 9-12 Halophiles, Continental Evaporites and the Search for Biosignatures in Environmental Analogues for Mars....Pages 13-26 Vesicular Basalts as a Niche for Microbial Life....Pages 27-43 SETI: Assessing Imaginative Proposals....Pages 45-62 Molecules Between the Stars....Pages 63-79 Prokaryotic Communities Below Planetary Surfaces and Their Involvement in the Nitrogen Cycle....Pages 81-99 Extrasolar Planets....Pages 101-120 “Life Without Water”: The Sleeping Chironomid and Other Anhydrobiotic Invertebrates and Their Utilization in Astrobiology....Pages 121-138 Habitability and Cosmic Catastrophes....Pages 139-157 Glaciopanspermia: Seeding the Terrestrial Planets with Life?....Pages 159-170 Chemical Evolution in Primeval Seas....Pages 171-193 Terrestrial Analogues for Early Planetary Oceans: NIUAFO‘OU CALDERA LAKES (Tonga) and Their Geology, Water Chemistry, and Stromatolites....Pages 195-234 Comparison of Environment Types with Liquid Water on Mars....Pages 235-250 Criteria of Possible Habitability of Earthlike Exoplanets....Pages 251-270 Origin of the Genetic Code and Abiotic Synthesis of Organic Compounds....Pages 271-289 Dynamical Aspects for the Earth’s Habitability....Pages 291-306 A Dynamic Scheme to Assess Habitability of Exoplanets....Pages 307-321 Astrobiology of Titan....Pages 323-344 The Likelihood of Halophilic Life in the Universe....Pages 345-365 Production of Dormant Stages and Stress Resistance of Polar Cyanobacteria....Pages 367-386 Can the Evolution of Multicellularity Be Anticipated in the Exploration of the Solar System?....Pages 387-405 Antarctica as Model for the Possible Emergence of Life on Europa....Pages 407-419 The Likelihood of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life....Pages 421-438 The Astrobiological Potential of Polar Dunes on Mars....Pages 439-457 Life in Earth’s Lava Caves: Implications for Life Detection on Other Planets....Pages 459-484 Life in the Saturnian Neighborhood....Pages 485-522 Back Matter....Pages 523-534 This volume covers aspects of life on Earth with all its diversity and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. It presents contributions by experts from 20 countries who discuss astrobiology emphasizing life "as we know it" to extraterrestrial places. In the chapters on life in the Cosmos, the authors emphasized in particular certain planets and satellites within the Solar System. On Earth, life also exists at the edge with harsh limitations (such as extremophiles growing in severe environments). Some chapters address the extremophiles in niches of microbial life in terrestrial halo-environments, the local life without water, and the dormancy of polar cyanobacteria, while others focus on microorganisms dwelling in severe conditions such as lava caves. All those conditions of harsh environments, including the Antarctic biota, could serve as analogues for other planets. Special stress is given to the frozen worlds of Mars; Europa, the satellite of Jupiter; and life in the Saturn neighborhood with its moon Titan. The subsurface under the icy layers of these celestial bodies may contain large oceans that have extant or extinct microbial life. Other chapters discuss the habitability of exoplanets, Galacticpanspermia, molecules, and prokaryotes below the planetary surface, halophile life in the Universe, and the SETI search for extraterrestrial intelligence in the Cosmos "Are we alone?" or "Is Anybody Out There?" have been permanent quandaries among mankind from the ancient times to now. In this book, we are discussing the diversity of life on Earth and possibly on other celestial bodies. We always consider the phenomena of life as we know it on Earth, with the requirements for it being liquid water and carbon-based biochemistry, plus other nutrients and energy sources. In this presentation, we precluded the possibility of life as we do not know it. It is a formidable challenge to find other habitable planets or satellites, which might contain signatures of life (de Vera and Seckbach, 2013). In addition, of finding water in the search for life, we have also to search for biomolecules in our galaxy. Indeed, astrobiologists have discovered regions in our galaxy that might have the potential for producing very complex organic molecules and the starting point for the development of life. Let us examine life on Earth and compare it with some extraterrestrial conditions. Introduction to Pathways to life on earth and other planetary bodies, page 3