The long awaited second edition of the Astrobiology Primer is now published in the journal Astrobiology. This version is an update of the Primer originally published in 2006, written by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field. Redone from scratch, the 2016 version contains updated content that addresses the definition of life in scientific research, the origins of planets and planetary systems, the evolution and interactions of life on Earth, habitability on worlds beyond Earth, the search for life, and the overall implications of the research. The Primer is intended to be a resource for early-career scientists, especially graduate students, who are new to astrobiology. Download
