发现

 水熊虫（ Hypsibius dujardini ）是迄今唯一能在外太空生存的地球生物。

现时缓步动物门物种是天体生物学家的重点研究对象，因为它们是迄今唯一能在外太空生存的地球生物，甚至有科学家怀疑它们本身就是从外太空（例如：火星，参看泛种论）来到地球的地外生物 。

参考书目

TheInternational Journal of Astrobiology, published by Cambridge University Press, is the forum for practitioners in this interdisciplinary field.

Astrobiology, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a peer-reviewed journal that explores the origins of life, evolution, distribution, and destiny in the universe.

Dick, Steven J.; James Strick. The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 2005. ISBN 0-8135-3733-9.

Grinspoon, David. Lonely planets. The natural philosophy of alien life. New York: ECCO. 2004 [2003]. ISBN 0-06-018540-6.

Mautner, Michael N.Seeding the Universe with Life: Securing Our Cosmological Future (PDF) . Washington D. C.: Legacy Books (www.amazon.com). 2000. ISBN 0-476-00330-X.

Jakosky, Bruce M. Science, Society, and the Search for Life in the Universe. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 2006. ISBN 0-8165-2613-3.

Lunine, Jonathan I. Astrobiology. A Multidisciplinary Approach. San Francisco: Pearson Addison-Wesley. 2005. ISBN 0-8053-8042-6.

Gilmour, Iain; Mark A. Sephton. An introduction to astrobiology. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. 2004. ISBN 0-521-83736-7.

Ward, Peter; Brownlee, Donald. Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe. New York: Copernicus. 2000. ISBN 0-387-98701-0.

Chyba, C. F.; Hand, K. P. ASTROBIOLOGY: The Study of the Living Universe. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 2005, 43 : 31. doi:10.1146/annurev.astro.43.051804.102202 . 编辑

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