title: Question 2: why astrobiology?
abstract: Astrobiological studies of abiotic organic chemistry, such as it is observed in interstellar molecular clouds or found in comets and meteorites, offer a glimpse of the chemical evolution that preceded the onset of life. They also allow to evaluate the possibility that the molecules produced through the long cosmic history of the biogenic elements contributed to the early Earth organic pool and facilitated prebiotic molecular evolution.
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-16004, USA. pizzar@asu.edu
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pizzarello
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018559:Exobiology; D000069497:Origin of Life