Defining Aqueous Habitable Conditions in the Universe

在科学问题中，“生命是我们星球所独有的吗？”是最基本的，也是STFC科学优先考虑的一部分。它跨越天文学和行星科学，但回答它还需要生物学科在天体生物学的职权范围内承担这个问题。仅仅存在可居住的条件并不意味着生命的存在，但确定生命可能存在的地点的第一步是找到可居住的条件（即支持至少一种已知生物活动的条件）。对可居住条件的探索必须受到我们对地球上生命的了解的限制。对可居住条件和生命可能性的探索的基本问题是“什么使环境适合居住？以及“地外环境如何影响宜居环境？'.本资助计划基于爱丁堡大学现有的优势，提供涵盖上述每个问题的主题。在本资助计划中，我们计划开展旨在了解影响可居住性的基本参数的研究。在我们以前研究的基础上，我们将继续提出这一建议，以确定宇宙中形成可居住性的一般原则（主题1）以及空间条件如何影响微生物的生长和行为（主题2）。如果在其他天体上发现了可居住的条件，例如火星或冰冷的卫星，我们希望了解辐射的程度可能在其演变中发挥作用，使用英国独特的地下天体生物学和科学能力，目前由STFC支持（主题3）。作为这项资助的一部分，我们还计划在现有设施的基础上继续开发行星科学和天文学的模拟设施。这项工作将大大促进我们对宜居条件的理解，使我们更好地了解最有可能拥有宜居条件的地方及其丰富程度。我们的工作具有高度的紧迫性和专题重要性，因为它为解释从空间和行星飞行任务返回的数据提供了基础，为行星科学和轨道科学开发了新的能力，这是一个紧迫的优先事项，并促进我们对地球上的生命在多大程度上为我们提供了一个数据点，以了解宇宙中可居住条件的普遍性，这是一个国际上非常感兴趣的话题。我们的工作建立在五年的科学基础上，技术开发和公众宣传在爱丁堡大学的英国天体生物学中心，我们寻求通过这项赠款提案继续这项工作，建立在我们的优势，以解决与STFC科学和开发新的设施和能力，为地球以外的环境研究新的科学问题。我们的工作已经衍生为公共宣传，教育和实际的社会福利，我们已经确定了具体的项目和贡献。这些措施包括利用天体生物学丰富和推进监狱环境中的科学教育（生命超越），并通过中小学教师培训改善英国各地学校的跨学科科学教育。

Among science questions, 'is life unique to our planet?' is one of the most fundamental and is for that reason part of STFC's science priorities. It cuts across astronomy and planetary sciences, yet answering it also requires that biological disciplines be brought to bear on the question under the remit of astrobiology. The mere presence of habitable conditions does not imply the presence of life, but a first step in identifying plausible locations for life is to find conditions that are habitable (i.e. conditions that will support the activity of at least one known organism). The search for habitable conditions is necessary bounded by what we know about life on Earth.Fundamental to the search for habitable conditions and the possibility of life are the questions 'What makes an environment habitable?' and 'How do extraterrestrial conditions influence habitable conditions?'. This grant proposal offers themes that cover each of these questions, building on existing strengths in the University of Edinburgh.In this grant we plan to carry out research aimed at understanding the fundamental parameters that influence habitability. Building on our previous research we will continue in this proposal to determine the general principles by which habitability is shaped in the Universe (Themes 1) and how space conditions effect the growth and behaviour of microorganisms (Theme 2) using orbital facilities. If habitable conditions are found on other bodies, such as Mars or icy moons we want to understand the extent to radiation may play a role in its evolution using the UK's unique subsurface astrobiology and science capabilities that are currently supported by STFC (Theme 3). As part of this encompassing grant we also plan to continue to develop simulation facilities for planetary science and astronomy, building on our existing facilities. The work will significantly advance our understanding of the conditions required for habitability by providing us with better knowledge about the places most likely to harbour habitable conditions and how abundant they might be.Our work is of high urgency and topical importance since it provides the underpinnings of interpreting data coming back from space and planetary missions, developing new capabilities for planetary science and science in orbit, which is becoming of immediate priority and advancing our general understanding of the extent to which life on Earth provides us with a data point to understand the prevalence of habitable conditions in the Universe, a topic of great international interest.Our work builds on five years of science, technology development and public outreach at the University of Edinburgh within the UK Centre for Astrobiology and we seek to continue this work through this grant proposal, building on our strengths to address new science questions linked to STFC science and developing new facilities and capabilities for the study of environments beyond the Earth. Our work has spin-offs into public outreach, education and practical societal benefits for which we have identified specific projects and contributions. They including using astrobiology to enrich and advance science education in the prison environment (Life Beyond) and improving the education of interdisciplinary science in schools across the UK by teacher training at primary and secondary school level.