title: Extreme life on Earth--past, present and possibly beyond.
abstract: Life may have been present on Earth since about 3.8 billion years ago or earlier. Multidisciplinary research, especially on the paleobiology and evolution of early microorganisms on Earth and the microbiology of extremophiles in the Earth's environments and under space conditions, enables the defining of strategies for the detection of potential extraterrestrial life by determining biosignatures and the environmental envelope of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août, 17, B5c, 4000 Liège Sart-Tilman, Belgium. EJ.Javoux@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Emmanuelle J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Javaux
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018534:Earth, Planet; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D018559:Exobiology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D005844:Geology; D000069497:Origin of Life