The European Commission-funded AstRoMap project has published the first scientific roadmap for European astrobiology.

The roadmap broadly defines astrobiology as the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the context of cosmic evolution. This positions it as a transdisciplinary document of relevance for many scientific actors, from astronomers to planetary scientists and from atmospheric physicists to life scientists.

The roadmap identifies five research topics: the origin and evolution of planetary systems; the origins of organic compounds in space; rock-water-carbon interactions, organic synthesis on Earth and steps to life; life and habitability; and biosignatures as facilitating life detection. Each topic specifies a number of key scientific objectives and steps to achieve them.

The roadmap also recommends the creation of a European astrobiology platform (or institute) to streamline scientific investigations, maximise interdisciplinary collaboration and optimise the use and development of infrastructures.

It was compiled by 19 authors using the findings of AstRoMap, an FP7 project aimed at strengthening co-ordination in European astrobiology, as well as the results of a scientific community consultation and four disciplinary workshops organised between 2013 and 2014.

The AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap has been published in the journal Astrobiology and is available online here.

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