Exobiology

Exobiology (also called astrobiology or xenobiology) is the biological science concerned with living alien organisms.

Exobiology was also a course taught at Star Fleet Academy.

A biologist who specializes in the field of exobiology is referred to as an exobiologist, xenobiologist, or astrobiologist, depending on their specialty.

• The astrobiology specialty is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.
• This specialty makes use of molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, chemistry, astronomy, physical cosmology, exoplanetology, geology, paleontology,
  and ichnology to investigate the possibility of life on other worlds and help recognize biospheres that might be different from that on Earth and other known M-class planets.
  • The origin and early evolution of life is an inseparable part of the discipline of astrobiology.

• Xenobiology compares various elements of different species.
• The sub-discipline known as "comparative xenobiology" is the scientific study of the physiological features of various alien lifeforms.

• Difference between xeno-, exo-, and astro-biology:
  • "Astro" means "star" and "exo" means "outside". Both exo- and astrobiology deal with the search for naturally evolved life in the Universe, mostly on other planets in the circumstellar habitable zone.
  • Whereas astrobiologists are concerned with the detection and analysis of life elsewhere in the Universe, xenobiology attempts to design forms of life with a different biochemistry or different genetic code than on planet Earth.

See also: Biology