# Astrobiology **Concept class:** Interdisciplinary scientific field ## Definition **Astrobiology** studies the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It joins astronomy, planetary science, geology, chemistry, biology, and the search for biosignatures; the search for technological intelligence is related but methodologically distinct. ## Relationships - **ICE participants:** [[wiki/Paul Davies|Paul Davies]], [[wiki/David Grinspoon|David Grinspoon]], [[wiki/Adam Frank|Adam Frank]], [[wiki/Carol Cleland|Carol Cleland]], and [[wiki/Jill Tarter|Jill Tarter]]. - **institutional routes:** [[wiki/SETI Institute|SETI Institute]] and [[wiki/Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science|Beyond Center]]. - **adjacent concepts:** [[wiki/Extraterrestrial Intelligence|Extraterrestrial Intelligence]], origins of life, biosignatures, technosignatures, and planetary habitability. - **disambiguation route:** [[wiki/ICE|ICE disambiguation]]. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts <!-- BEGIN MARTIN REES MASTER REMINDERS 2026-10-05 --> > “My guess is that if we do detect an alien intelligence, it will be nothing like us. It will be some sort of electronic entity.” > **— Martin Rees**, *Opinion: Aliens, very strange universes and Brexit – Martin Rees, University of Cambridge, 2017* [[reminders/Machine Succession/Alien Intelligence May Be Electronic by Martin Rees|Alien Intelligence May Be Electronic by Martin Rees]] > “If life off Earth exists it has probably transitioned to machine intelligence.” > **— Martin Rees**, *Why Alien Life Will Be Robotic, Nautilus, 2015* [[reminders/Machine Succession/Extraterrestrial Life May Have Become Machine Intelligence by Martin Rees|Extraterrestrial Life May Have Become Machine Intelligence by Martin Rees]] <!-- END MARTIN REES MASTER REMINDERS 2026-10-05 --> ## Sources / Provenance - [SETI Institute — Astrobiology FAQ](https://www.seti.org/about/faq/) - [NASA Astrobiology](https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/)