Roles and Responsibilities

Archaebacteria live in extreme environments such as these hot springs. Photo by Jim Peaco from the NPS.

The roles and responsibilities of astrobiologists range from studying life in outer space to life on Earth. They look at new organisms and how they can survive in outer space. Also, they look at the atmospheres of other planets, and what life could survive on it.

Some astrobiologists look at a planet’s atmosphere to find “biomarkers” or “biosignatures”, or gases that we believe are proof of life. Through the study of the Earth, these scientists found, that oxygen, methane, and nitrous oxide are gases produced by life. Next, they examined the atmosphere of Mars, our next-door neighbor. Okay, it’s actually anywhere from 54.6 million to 401 million (elliptical orbits) kilometers away, but who’s counting? A flurry of excitement in scientific circles was caused after methane was found in Mars’ atmosphere. Still, the question remains: do these biomarkers mean that there is life on Mars or are they “false positives?”

So what do these scientists on a quest for biomarkers do while they’re at work? These researches spend their days mainly looking at pictures and data on computers. This information comes from a machine used in the system called spectroscopy where infrared waves are used to analyze the electromagnetic spectrum of an atmosphere. Though their day is mostly spent working with computers, astrobiologists working on such a project will occasionally work in the lab or with other tools like telescopes.

The role of an astrobiologist is not limited to looking at the stars and the planets, but analyzing the data that they find. Most astronomers work at universities and conduct research with their students. They collaborate to gather data from telescopes and then process it through computers. Astronomers also design different programs to analyze the collected data.

To help them understand the Universe, astrobiologists employ a variety of methods. For example, they can use inferometry, which combines many telescopes and cancels wavelengths to allow astronomers to measure angles of stars. Furthermore, they take photographs of stars that could host planets, and look at the diffraction pattern, or the pattern of light that surrounds possible planets. Astronomers create simulations and create a mock star that allows them to explore alternative methods of planet discovery. NASA has even sent a probe into space, Kepler, to take still photographs of planets. To gather most of this information, astronomers stay up at night to observe. They will then spend much of their time analyzing this data, by creating and designing new computer programs.

A new field of astrobiology that has grown is the study of extremophiles. Extremophiles are organisms that can survive in harsh conditions with extreme temperatures, a lack of light, or a lack of oxygen. Studying extremophiles lets astrobiologists understand how life began on Earth and how it could survive on other planets especially Mars. Scientists will spend their day analyzing the bacteria using microscopes, separating microbial proteins, or cloning various genes. They will collect archaebacterial specimens from extreme environments such as the geysers and sulfur springs of Yellowstone National Park, caves, and the Arctic.

Astrobiology has a niche for virtually anybody who is fascinated with space, life, and science. The research is constantly evolving, and daily functions contribute to a greater whole—the pursuit of knowledge of our universe and an understanding of what life means.