Origin and Evolution of Life - Implications for the Planets: A Scientific Strategy for the 1980's

摘要

This report describes the emerging science of life as a planetary phenomenon. It assesses the status of our knowledge of the origin of life on Earth and of the precursers of life elsewhere in the Galaxy. It also outlines ways in which we can use the capacity that space technology provides to study the biological processes that are important on a global scale in shaping the surface of the Earth and the composition of the atmosphere. The science of global biology is in its infancy, and much will have to be learned before the data are in hand to carry out definitive global studies. This report identifies some of the questions that must be answered before these data can be effectively gathered and intelligently analyzed.