Resources
We’ve done our best here to curate all of the best resources for astrobiology that we could find!
Below you’ll find resources for books and articles, for online learning and videos, for university classes and programs in astrobiology, ways of joining research groups or finding internships, for learning more about astrobiologists and their work, and for joining various communities who have connections to astrobiology.
While our lists here are not exhaustive, we’ve tried our best to list and link all of the top-level resources we could find. However, if you think there is something missing from our lists below, please shoot us an email and let us know!
Reading
This is a collection of books, journals, peer-reviewed articles, and web articles relevant to astrobiology.
Book - Astrobiology: Understanding the Universe - Charles Cockell
Book - Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction - David Catling
Book - Life in the Universe 3rd edition - Jeffrey O. Bennett and Seth Shostak
Book - Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe - Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee
Book - How to Build a Habitable Planet - Charles Langmuir and Wally Broeker
Book - How to Find a Habitable Planet - James Kasting
Book - Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life - David Grinspoon
Book - Earth in Human Hands - David Grinspoon
Book - The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars - Jacob Berkowitz
Book - Planets and Life: The Emerging Science of Astrobiology - David Koerner and Simon Levay
Book - Life on the Edge: Amazing creatures thriving in extreme environments - Michael Gross
Book - Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints - Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Louis N. Irwin
Book - The search for Life on Other Planets - Bruce Jakosky
Book - Life on other worlds: The 20th-century extraterrestrial life debate - Steven J. Dick
Book - Revolutions That Made the Earth - Tim Lenton and Andrew Watson
Book - Planetary Messenger - Jacob Haqq-Misra
Book - Noah's Raven - Jacob Haqq-Misra
Book - First Life: Discovering the Connections between Stars, Cells, and How Life Began - David Deamer
Book - Assembling Life: How Can Life Begin on Earth and Other Habitable Planets? - David Deamer
Scientific Journal - Astrobiology
Scientific Journal - International Journal of Astrobiology
Scientific Journal - Life Sciences in Space Research
Book - NASA Astrobiology Institute - Astrobiology Primer
Graphic Novels - NASA - Astrobiology Graphic Histories
Astrobiology Education
Online classes, undergraduate and graduate classes and programs, and more.
Informal Education like Online Classes, Podcasts, Videos, and More
MOOC - University of Edinburgh (Coursera) - Astrobiology and the Search for ET life
MOOC - University of Illinois Champaign Urbana (Coursera) - Emergence of Life
Podcast - Stanford University - Astrobiology and Space Exploration Podcast
Tutorial - Khan Academy - Cosmology and Astronomy
Video - NASA - Ask an Astrobiologist Homepage
Video - NASA - View Earth from Space!
Video - NASA Astrobiology Institute - NAI Seminar Series
Video - SETI Institute - SETI Talks
Video - Space Telescope Science Institute - STSci Webcasts
Workshop — The Womanium Foundation’s Astrobiology Module — Learn more and register here
Course - Santa Fe Institute - Origins Of Life
MOOC - University of Arizona (Coursera) - Astrobiology: Exploring Other Worlds
MOOC - University of Arizona (Coursera) - Knowing the Universe: History and Philosophy of Astronomy
MOOC - University of Arizona (Coursera) - Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space
MOOC - Princeton University (Coursera) - Imagining Other Earths
MOOC - Universidade de São Paulo (Coursera) - Origens da Vida no Contexto Cósmico (Portuguese)
MOOC - Harvard University - Super-Earths and Life
Video - NASA - What You Need to Know About Astrobiology - The Search for Life in the Universe!
There is also a large list of curated educational materials from the NASA Astrobiology Program that includes classroom materials, guides, educational resources, and far more!
Undergraduate Classes and Programs
Florida Institute of Technology - Florida Institute of Technology Astrobiology Degree (Undergraduate)
UCLA - UCLA Undergrad Studies in Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
University of Edinburgh - UK Centre for Astrobiology
Pennsylvania State University – Astrobiology Minor Program
Princeton University – Certificate Program in Planets and Life
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Astrobiology Minor
University of Arizona – Undergraduate Minor in Astrobiology
Arizona State University – Undergraduate Degree in Astrobiology and Biogeosciences
Graduate Coursework and Programs
Pennsylvania State University - Penn State University Astrobiology PhD Program
UCLA - UCLA Graduate Studies in Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
University of Texas at Austin - University of Texas at Austin Theory Group, Planetary Sciences
University of Washington - University of Washington Dual Title PhD
McMaster University - Origins Institute Courses and Program
University of Colorado - University of Colorado Grad Certificate
University of Washington - University of Washington Graduate Program
Earth Life Science Institute and Tokyo Tech - Integrated Graduate Program
Amity University, Mumbai – MSc Program in Astrobiology & Space Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology – Graduate Certificate in Astrobiology
University of Arizona – Graduate Minor in Astrobiology
University of Naples Federico II – Graduate Program in the Biology of Extreme Environments
Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany - Planetary Sciences and Space Exploration Masters Program
Networking & Research
We do our best to curate opportunities for joining professional networks and finding research projects, but please share any information you may have as well.
Finding Internships
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Student Internships
McGill University - Canadian Astrobiology Training Program
NASA - Apply to be a NASA Intern
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology - NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics REU
JPL and Cal Tech - CalTech Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Postdoc Fellowship - 51 Pegasi b
Building Professional Networks
Astrobiology New Zealand - Astrobiology New Zealand
Astrobiology Society of Britain - Astrobiology Society of Britain
Astrobiyoloji Çalışma Grubu Turkey
Australian Centre for Astrobiology - Australian Centre for Astrobiology
Blue Marble Space - Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Centro de Astrobiologia - Centro de Astrobiologia Madrid, Spain
DLR Institute of Planetary Research - DLR Institute of Planetary Research (Germany)
Earth Life Science Institute (ELSI) - Earth Life Science Institute (ELSI)
European Astrobiology Network Association - European Astrobiology Network Association
Groupement de Recherche en Exobiologiehttp://www.exobiologie.fr/
Instituto de Astrobiologia Colombia - Instituto de Astrobiologia Colombia
International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life - International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (Mexico)
Japanese Astrobiology Network - Japanese Astrobiology Network
Kuwait Astronomy Club - Kuwait Astronomy Club
National Society of Hispanic Physicists Student Gateway - National Society of Hispanic Physicists Student Gateway
Nordic Network of Astrobiology - Nordic Network of Astrobiology
Sociedad Mexicana de Astrobiología - Sociedad Mexicana de Astrobiología
Societa Italiano di Astrobiologia - Societa Italiano di Astrobiologia
Spanish Planetology and Astrobiology Network - Spanish Planetology and Astrobiology Network (REDESPA)
The Israel Society for Astrobiology - The Israel Society for Astrobiology and the Study of the Origin of Life
UK Center for Astrobiology - UK Center for Astrobiology
Find Research Groups and Collaborators
Columbia University, GISS, and AMNH - Columbia University Astrobiology Center Faculty List
University of East Anglia - UEA Astrobiology Faculty List
Arizona State University (ASU) - ASU Nexus for Exoplanet System Science
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology - Independent Student Research for Community College Students
Earth Life Science Institute (ELSI) - Researchers and Topics at ELSI
Events & Meetings
While we don’t update curated lists of events ourselves, we’re happy to share other lists and recurring events. Taking part in scientific meetings and conferences is also a great way to build your community in astrobiology!
