astrobiology

noun

as·​tro·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌa-strō-(ˌ)bī-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce astrobiology (audio)
astrobiologist noun

Examples of astrobiology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Until then, the bulk of NASA’s astrobiology funding had focused on Mars—a world that is almost certainly sterile today (at least on the surface), but which may have hosted life some 3 to 4 billion years ago in its warmer, wetter past. Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2024 Its successful survival in space has had profound implications for astrobiology and the study of life beyond Earth, raising questions about the potential for life to exist in similarly extreme environments elsewhere in the universe. Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 The origins of life Not knowing how life originated on our own planet is a major showstopper for astrobiology. Big Think, 17 June 2024 As the Venus phosphine saga moved toward a climax in 2021, NASA administrators and scientists implored the astrobiology community to establish firm standards for certainty in biosignature detection. Elise Cutts, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for astrobiology 

Word History

Etymology

astro- + biology

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of astrobiology was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near astrobiology

Cite this Entry

“Astrobiology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astrobiology. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

astrobiology

noun
as·​tro·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy -(ˌ)bī-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce astrobiology (audio)
plural astrobiologies

More from Merriam-Webster on astrobiology

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