Why am I interested in astrobiology?

I suppose that my scientific mind was born out of watching too many documentaries about UFOs, ghosts, and paranormal phenomena as a child. I was fascinated by the mysterious unknown elements of our universe and hoped that I could uncover it one day. Consequently, I read voraciously from the public library and that led me to science. I knew I wanted to become a scientist of some sort. Then, during my freshman year at UC Berkeley, I chanced upon a lecture by Alex Filippenko. In his final lecture of the semester, he gave a moving lecture that really led me to my interest in astrobiology. I'll explain more about that lecture in a future post.


Everyone is curious about whether there is life elsewhere in the universe. I'm no different, but I'm less interested in little green men. I am more interested in novel biochemistry. How would living organisms be different if there was a second genesis that was completely separate from the one here on Earth? Would they be made of the same material as us? Would they require water like all living things on Earth?


It's hard to comprehend just how large the universe is, but if you think about the sheer size of the universe it becomes harder to believe that life could have only arisen here on Earth.

Just look at the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.  If you divide the sky into 13 million parts. This image would be from just one of those parts. Each of those specks is a galaxy. A galaxy with hundreds of billions of stars. Stars that could hold planets just like our own solar system. Planets that could harbor some sort of primordial ooze.


It is that possibility that grabs my interest, the mysterious unknown.