Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments
Published on: January 21, 2014
A possible first use of the word astrobiology?
1Observatoire de Paris, 75014 Paris, France. danielle.briot@obspm.fr
Abstract:
The word astrobiology was possibly first used in 1935, in an article published in a French popular science magazine. The author was Ary J. Sternfeld (1905-1980), a pioneer of astronautics who wrote numerous scientific books and papers. The article is remarkable because his portrayal of the concept is very similar to the way it is used today. Here I review the 1935 article and provide a brief history of Sternfeld's life, which was heavily influenced by the tragic events of 20(th) century history.
Related Concept Videos
Conditions on Early Earth
Conditions on Early Earth
Origin of Cellular Life
Origin of Photosynthesis
Eukaryotic Evolution
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Synthetic Biology
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...

