The Origin and Evolution of Life throughout the Cosmos

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary science that hopes to answer the age old question, where does life originate. Through the integration of astronomy, biology, geology and planetary science, Astrobiology Professor David Koerner, hopes to unravel that very mystery.
Koerner began his education early in the 1970s. He enrolled at California State University-Long Beach as geology major, but graduated with a degree in physics and minors in math and geology. Koerner chose his field of study so he could better understand when and where life originated.
In 1993, Koerner, along with fellow scientists, were the first to demonstrate that a gas disk was in a stable orbit around a young star named GM Aurigae, indicating that the disk could give rise to a new set of planets. The discovery of planets being born within an interstellar medium reaffirmed early theories that planet formation is one step in the evolution of life. His findings, along with countless others, have been published in The Astrophysical Journal.
To understand how long Earth has been circling its star, scientists must first investigate geological records. As geological records show, the Earth has been a stable planet for about 4.6 billion years. Earliest fossil cells date back to 3.5 billion years ago, and “circumstantial evidence dates life’s beginnings at 3.9 billion years ago.’ The question that astrobiologists hope to answer is what caused inorganic molecules like water and salt to suddenly change into amino acids, the building blocks of all organic life.
A gas disk around a protostar, or a solar nebula, is a precursor to a solar system. Koerner believes that through intense study of a solar system’s formation, scientists will one day have a better understanding of the mechanics of life. “What I really care about is not just the steps that lead to making the planets, but the habitability of the cosmos,” Koerner said.
Arguments in favor of life on other planets have become more viable in the last 10 years. Solar nebulas are full of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are interstellar molecules that formed through a complicated network of chemical reactions inside the solar nebula. Koerner explains, “That’s like the goo on your grill after you do a hamburger.” More technically they are what scientists consider pre cursers to amino acids. The discoveries of these molecules, in conjunction with comet and meteorite studies, have made the speculation of extraterrestrial life more attractive to scientists around the world.
Koerner is now part of a research group that uses the Spitzer Space Telescope to identify how planets form, the frequency in which they form and what are the prospects for life on these planets. They use the telescope to investigate nearby stars in hopes of unraveling the cosmos’ mysteries. The Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-based infrared observatory, which is part of NASA's Great Observatories program.
Through NASA's scientific endeavor, Koerner’s research group have already identified close to four dozen solar nebulas within the Milky Way Galaxy. The group’s findings are incorporated with other researchers’ data from around the world, in order to compile a likely theory that will explain the creation of organic life throughout the cosmos. Koerner is a professor a Northern Arizona University. His articles and other scientific data can be accessed at http://www.astrobio.nau.edu/~koerner.