太空生物学

太空生物学（Astrobiology,Exobiology）是研究生物和外空间物体的相互作用的科学。是研究关于地球以及整个宇宙的生命的起源、进化、分布和未来的科学。其中要回答的最基本的问题就是：生命是怎样起源的？空间生命的未来会怎样？我们是宇宙中的唯一生命体吗？太空生物学是一个新兴而迅速发展的领域，吸引了大量的政府基金和优秀的科学家。2003年10月15日我国“神舟”五号载人飞船成功发射以及随后的安全着陆，标志着中国在攀登世界科技高峰中，迈出了有重大历史意义的一步。中华民族在航天事业上的发展必将翻开新的篇章。Astrobiology, the transcendent science: the promise ofastrobiology as an integrative approach for scienceand engineering education and researchJames T StaleyAstrobiology is rapidly gaining the worldwide attention ofscientists, engineers and the public. Astrobiology’s captivation isdue to its inherently interesting focus on life, its origins anddistribution in the Universe. Because of its remarkable breadth asa scientific field, astrobiology touches on virtually all disciplines inthe physical, biological and social sciences as well asengineering. The multidisciplinary nature and the appeal of itssubject matter make astrobiology ideal for integrating theteaching of science at all levels in educational curricula. Therationale for implementing novel educational programs inastrobiology is presented along with specific research andeducational policy recommendations.AddressesDepartment of Microbiology, NSF Astrobiology IGERT Program,University of Washington, Box 357242, Seattle, WA 98195, USAe-mail: jtstaley@u.washington.eduCurrent Opinion in Biotechnology 2003, 14:347–354This review comes from a themed issue onScience policyEdited by Rita R Colwell0958-1669/03/$ – see front matter