Defining Life

被引:138
作者
Benner, Steven A. [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Fdn Appl Mol Evolut, Gainesville, FL 32601 USA
[2] Westheimer Inst Sci & Technol, Gainesville, FL USA
关键词
Evolution; Life; Life detection; Biosignatures; SEARCH;
D O I
10.1089/ast.2010.0524
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
Any definition is intricately connected to a theory that gives it meaning. Accordingly, this article discusses various definitions of life held in the astrobiology community by considering their connected "theories of life.'' These include certain "list'' definitions and a popular definition that holds that life is a "self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution.'' We then act as "anthropologists,'' studying what scientists do to determine which definition-theories of life they constructively hold as they design missions to seek non-terran life. We also look at how constructive beliefs about biosignatures change as observational data accumulate. And we consider how a definition centered on Darwinian evolution might itself be forced to change as supra-Darwinian species emerge, including in our descendents, and consider the chances of our encountering supra-Darwinian species in our exploration of the Cosmos. Last, we ask what chemical structures might support Darwinian evolution universally; these structures might be universal biosignatures.
引用
收藏
页码:1021 / 1030
页数:10
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