exobiology
noun
exo·bi·ol·o·gy
ˌek-sō-bī-ˈä-lə-jē 
: a branch of biology concerned with the search for life outside the earth and with the effects of extraterrestrial environments on living organisms
Examples of exobiology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Both shared an academic interest in ferns and knew that NASA was funding research on exobiology, the study of potential life beyond Earth.
—
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023
Green introduces us to ideas from exobiology (the study of life on other worlds) and researchers who study exoplanets (worlds beyond our solar system), pointing out that these fields rely as heavily on science fiction as on mathematical probabilities.
—Annalee Newitz, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Interest in exobiology — the study of the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe — had been drying up for decades.
—Elise Cutts, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
But Ames’ leadership knew their exobiology hot spot was something worth saving.
—Elise Cutts, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
One reason is historical: The study of biosignatures — which began in the 1960s, within the new discipline of exobiology — has been receiving support from NASA and academic institutions for decades.
—Jon Gertner, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022
That question, now known as the Fermi Paradox, has long bedeviled astronomers and other scientists studying exobiology—which explores the possibility of other life in the universe.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
There’s an exobiology truism that where there is water, there is life.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
In the 1960s and ’70s, Drake played a major role in driving astrobiology—then called exobiology—into becoming a systematic field of study of the origins and evolution of life on alien worlds.
—WIRED, 11 Sep. 2022
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023
Green introduces us to ideas from exobiology (the study of life on other worlds) and researchers who study exoplanets (worlds beyond our solar system), pointing out that these fields rely as heavily on science fiction as on mathematical probabilities.
—Annalee Newitz, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Interest in exobiology — the study of the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe — had been drying up for decades.
—Elise Cutts, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
But Ames’ leadership knew their exobiology hot spot was something worth saving.
—Elise Cutts, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
One reason is historical: The study of biosignatures — which began in the 1960s, within the new discipline of exobiology — has been receiving support from NASA and academic institutions for decades.
—Jon Gertner, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022
That question, now known as the Fermi Paradox, has long bedeviled astronomers and other scientists studying exobiology—which explores the possibility of other life in the universe.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
There’s an exobiology truism that where there is water, there is life.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
In the 1960s and ’70s, Drake played a major role in driving astrobiology—then called exobiology—into becoming a systematic field of study of the origins and evolution of life on alien worlds.
—WIRED, 11 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exobiology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1960, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near exobiology
Cite this Entry
“Exobiology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exobiology. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
exobiology
noun
exo·bi·ol·o·gy
-bī-ˈäl-ə-jē
plural exobiologies
: a branch of biology concerned with the search for life outside the earth and with the effects of extraterrestrial environments on living organisms
called also astrobiology
More from Merriam-Webster on exobiology
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about exobiology
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