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Astrobiology facts for kids

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Asteroid(s) may have transported life to Earth.

Astrobiology is the study of life in outer space. The field of astrobiology looks for conditions necessary for life, like liquid water, a good temperature, or the presence of oxygen.

Some possible places to find life in the solar system are Europa and Ganymede, moons of Jupiter, or Titan and Enceladus, moons of Saturn. These places may have liquid water. They are may be too cold to support life on their surfaces, but if they have liquid water, the water must be warm enough to support life. Astrobiologists suggest that there may be a liquid water ocean under its surface.

Astrobiology makes use of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, molecular biology, ecology, planetary science, geography and geology to investigate the possibility of life on other worlds and help recognize biospheres that might be different from the Earth's. Astrobiology concerns itself with an interpretation of existing scientific data; given more detailed and reliable data from other parts of the Universe, the roots of astrobiology itself—physics, chemistry, and biology—may have their theoretical bases challenged.

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Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Astrobiología para niños

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Astrobiology Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.