Expecting the unexpected in the search for extraterrestrial life

International Journal of Astrobiology

Astrobiology is a scientific endeavour involving great uncertainties. This could justify intellectual risk-taking associated with research that significantly deviates from the mainstream, to explore new avenues. However, little is known regarding the effect of such maverick endeavours. To better understand the need for more or less risk in astrobiology, we investigate to what extent high-risk / high-impact research contributes to breakthrough results in the discipline. We gathered a sample of the most impactful astrobiology papers of the past 20 years and explored the degree of risk of the research projects behind these papers via contact with the corresponding authors. We carried out interviews to explore how attitudes towards risk have played out in their work, and to ascertain their opinions on risk-taking in astrobiology. We show the majority of the selected breakthrough results derive from endeavours considered medium- or high-risk, risk is significantly correlated with impact,...

2009

Preprint for a chapter in: Handbook of Exoplanets, 2nd Edition, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature, 2024

The impact of exoplanet science on both the scientific community and on the general public is presented through various indicators and examples. It is estimated that about 3-4% of all refereed astronomy articles focus on exoplanets, and between 15-20% percent of current, and up to 25% of upcoming astronomy space missions are dedicated to exoplanet research. Also, about 15-20% of the science cases for large multipurpose ground-based astronomical instruments involve exoplanet science. Interactions between the scientific community and the public occur on several levels and play a crucial role in shaping the future of exoplanet science. The rise of citizen science platforms and the successes of coordinated observing projects involving amateur astronomers have engaged the public in meaningful scientific contributions, and contribute to some areas of discovery and characterization of exoplanet systems, for which several examples are given. These initiatives not only fuel public interest in the search for extraterrestrial life but also promote STEM education, broadening participation in science. Lastly, the changing perception of the informed public about the existence of 'other Earths' and life in the Universe in the light of results from exoplanet science is outlined. Media coverage of results from exoplanet science has furthered the acceptance that extraterrestrial life, be it intelligent of not, is not rare in the Universe. The shift in perception that such life might be detected in a potentially not very distant future has, in turn, promoted public support for the research infrastructure necessary to sustain the growth of exoplanetology.

Bulletin of the AAS, 2021

The rapid advance of exoplanet discovery, planetary systems science, and telescope technology will soon allow scientists to search for life beyond our Solar System through direct observation of extrasolar planets. This endeavor will occur alongside searches for habitable environments and signs of life within our Solar System. These searchers will require separate observational techniques, and exoplanets pose an additional challenge of having relatively limited data on any individual world. However, these searches are thematically related and will inform each other. This white paper will explore those synergies, and encourage an exchange of "lessons learned" between the Solar System and exoplanet communities, in particular focusing on quantitative frameworks for interpretation of biosignatures. Enhanced communication across the NASA Science Mission Directorate (in particular between the Astrophysics and Planetary Science Divisions) will prevent stove-piping of data and evaluation protocols, and will enhance the science return and bolster the theoretical and empirical foundation to interpret life detection mission results. Key recommendations: • Hold workshops to educate and socialize exoplanet and planetary communities to their different lineages of biosignature research and life detection approaches. • Increase communication and coordination between Astrophysics and Planetary Science Divisions and ROSES R&A funding opportunities, especially as related to funding exoplanet research within Planetary programs. • Host more cross-divisional meetings between the different analysis groups (AGs): Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG), Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), and Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). • Establish "exoplanet participating scientist" or "planetary participating scientist" positions in Solar System and exoplanet life detection missions, respectively (Arney et al., 2020; Marley et al., 2020). • Amplify and reinforce recommendations in other exoplanet-Solar System synergy white papers: ○ Please refer to the Arney et al. (2020) white paper "Exoplanets in our Backyard" for a report on the scientific and programmatic findings from the recent joint exoplanet-planetary workshop, which shows how NASA and the science community can encourage and nurture research at the intersection of the Solar System and exoplanet fields. ○ Please refer to the Marley et al. (2020) white paper "Enabling Effective Exoplanet/Planetary Collaborative Science" for specific structural and policy recommendations. ○ Please refer to the Schmidt et al. (2020) white paper on "Enabling Progress Towards Life Detection on NASA Missions: A White Paper from the Network for Life Detection" and the Hoehler et al. (2020) white paper "Groundwork for Life Detection," which advocate that community-level efforts be pursued to establish a standardized, evaluative framework that supports apples-to-apples assessment of diverse biosignatures' utility in addressing life detection objectives.

Futures , 2023

Inspired by past efforts to delineate potential future reactions to a discovery of extraterrestrial life, this work draws on the humanities literature of monster studies and monster theory to conceptualize the overall activity of the search for extraterrestrial life as a monstrous endeavor. This work highlights four interlinked aspects that appear to signify its potentially monstrous character: its hybridity as a field of inquiry, its conduct under conditions of severe uncertainty, its employment of abduction and anticipation, and its aim of producing knowledge about novel and ontologically liminal phenomena. An operationalization of the monster as a heuristic is being employed to explore ex ante the potential public reactions to a monstrous future discovery of extraterrestrial life and to suggest a coping strategy to handle those reactions. The suggested strategy is monster assimilation, which aims at adapting both the monster and the cultural categories against which it is evaluated. Recognizing the importance of explicating cultural assumptions to enable this adaptation of cultural categories, this work proposes that enhancing "futures literacy" in the science, policy, and society nexus across diverse cultures might eventually prove critical in enabling the easier assimilation of a monstrous future discovery of extraterrestrial life at an earlier stage.