exobiology
English edit
Etymology edit
From exo- + biology, coined by American molecular biologist (1925 - 2008) Joshua Lederberg.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Audio (US) (file)
Noun edit
exobiology (usually uncountable, plural exobiologies)
- (biology, science fiction) The branch of biology dealing with lifeforms originating a different planet.
- Synonym: xenobiology
- Hypernym: astrobiology
- 1973, Lyall Watson, Supernature, page ix. 310:
- Biology has lately given rise to a new discipline: exobiology, the study of extraterrestrial life. Ever since 1959, when analysis of a piece of meteor substance showed traces of organic compounds, a controversy has raged as to whether these compounds came into the atmosphere with the meteorite or whether they originate on earth.
Translations edit
biology dealing with extraterrestrial lifeforms
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References edit
- ^ “Launching a New Science: Exobiology and the Exploration of Space”, in U.S. National Library of Medicine[1], 2019 April 13 (last accessed): “Lederberg's urgent warnings about interstellar contamination, and his call for the scientific study of life beyond earth's atmosphere—for which he coined the term exobiology—tapped into popular fascination with the dawning of the space age, and brought him international media attention.”
Further reading edit
astrobiology on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
