Astrobiology Research Trust

A.R.T. supports scientific research in astrobiology and closely related fields, especially:

  • Astrobiology research that is not already well funded by other sources, and
  • Research in real or artificial life that may ascertain the range of macroevolutionary progress in closed systems.

A.R.T. and its predecessor have supported or are supporting:

  • A challenge on Innocentive.com to design a demonstration that would help to establish the contemplated Evolution Prize. Login and see challenge 6409250, "Is Open-Ended Evolutionary Innovation in a Quarantined System Possible?" Also see discussion at Google Groups. The award of $20,000 is available thru 13 Sep 2008.
  • Research conducted by the Origins of Life Initiative at Harvard University on the origin and transport of organic matter in the solar system, established 29 Feb 2008. See Harvard's Origins of Life program..., 9 Nov 2006.
  • A Conference on Cosmic Dust and Panspermia at Cardiff University, 5-8 September 2006.
  • The establishment of a prize for an artificial life model that can demonstrate "Open-Ended Evolutionary Innovation in a Closed System." See The Evolution Prize, posted on panspermia.org, 3 April 2006, and The Evolution Prize website at EvolutionPrize.net, established 28 Aug 2006.
  • Tests to search for microbial life whose chirality is reversed. Such microbes would require an origin or source different from that of life as we know it. See Mirror Life?, 5 Aug 2005.
  • Tests to measure isotope ratios in bacteria from the high atmosphere. See Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ..., 26 September 2003 and links from there.
  • A graduate student at The Cardiff Center for Astrobiology, beginning Aug 2003.
  • The University of Oklahoma, to fund a bioinformatic analysis of genomic data to address the question "Is sustained macroevolutionary progress possible in a closed system?" See Human Genome Search at University of Oklahoma, 18 Nov 2001.
  • The University of Wales, Cardiff, to fund a balloon experiment launched by the Indian Space Research Organization. See An Atmospheric Test of Cometary Panspermia, Feb 1999.
  • The Cosmic Ancestry website that promotes awareness of an alternative theory whereunder apparent macroevolutionary progress is actually development in a genetically open system, 1996 to present.

A.R.T. welcomes inquiries from qualified researchers whose interests align with ours.

  • Established 22 April 2002, under US IRS code 501(c)(3)
  • Trustee: W. Brigham Klyce
  • Advisory Board Members: Stan Franklin and Lisa K. Jennings
  • 168 Grove Park Circle / Memphis, TN 38117-3134 / USA
  • 901.763.2222 phone | fax 901.767.2995
  • http://www.panspermia.org/art.htm
  • email us: use "Astrobiology Research Trust" in subject, to pass spam filter.
  • Our grants are restricted to scientific research, and may not be used for overhead or administrative costs.