JOURNAL INTERVIEWS - 2008

Founded in 2001 and published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Astrobiology is a peer-reviewed journal "that explores the secrets of life's origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny in the universe." The journal's Founding and current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. S.L. Cady. In addition to her responsibilities at Astrobiology, Dr. Cady is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University, where her research focuses on geomicrobiology and astrobiology.

In the interview below, Dr. Cady talks with ScienceWatch.com about Astrobiology's publication history and citation achievements.

Did you expect Astrobiology to become highly cited, or is this surprising to you?

It seemed inevitable, though I hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Astrobiology covers an incredibly diverse range of subject areas (e.g., astrophysics, geochemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, paleontology, ecology, instruments, evolutionary biology, etc.), and the wide range of expertise of our authors has led to key papers in a number of areas. I knew when we launched the journal that there were many different avenues of research out there, and that we needed to tap into those areas that were at the core of the discipline. Somehow we've managed to do that and then some.

How would you account for the high citation rate of Astrobiology?

First and foremost, it's the quality of submissions we receive. Maybe it has to do with the fact that this is a burgeoning field and there is a great deal of work to do, but I am always excited by the quality and creativity of the research that is ongoing. The science revolves around questions related to the origins and evolution of life, the ways in which life interacts with and impacts its environment, how signatures of life are preserved in the rock record, and the scientific and technical aspects of the search for life beyond Earth. The potential to advance these issues significantly, within our lifetime, keeps the papers coming in.

It doesn't hurt, of course, to have an amazing editorial board that has contributed to the high quality of the papers in the journal. We've built a worldwide network of the top researchers in the field, and these scientists have participated in special collections of papers and theme issues on hot topics like "M Star Planet Habitability," "Follow the Energy," "Bombardment of the Hadean Earth," "Europa," and "In situ Life Detection."

Finally, our publisher, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.—their goal from the start has been to produce the best possible science journal, regardless of the difficulties along the way. In that regard, we were very, very lucky. My university, Portland State University, has also been very supportive of my efforts with the journal. Everyone affiliated with Astrobiology works hard to bring the most cutting-edge issues to the fore by way of the journal, and to attract the most exciting science being done around the world.

Would you give us a brief history of the journal?

Astrobiology was launched as the only peer-reviewed scientific journal of its kind as a quarterly in 2001, and then as a bimonthly journal in 2005. In addition to research, review, and education papers, we feature hypothesis papers, major meeting abstracts, and white papers. The journal, I like to think, serves as a forum for the entire community.

What historical factors have contributed to the success of Astrobiology?

The obvious over-arching drivers include the success of space exploration missions, but I would also have to include the recent missions to Mars, an increase in the cohesiveness of this worldwide community as a result of numerous astrobiology-related meetings, and the appeal of a cutting-edge multidisciplinary field of research, in particular for young scientists.

For the journal, it was simply getting over that first major hurdle, which was to prove that we were serious, dedicated, responsive to the community, and, most importantly, here to stay. I knew that, say, in our first year of existence, researchers had to think twice before they were going to submit to our journal. Publication is a serious and highly competitive business, and authors want to see their work published in the best possible light. I have to say, though, that it wasn't long before people in the community understood that not only were we going to be around for a while, we were also intent on moving toward what was needed most—a voice for those involved in this business of astrobiology.

What, in your view, is this journal's main significance or contribution in the field of Space Science?

I would say that one major contribution has to do with our continued focus on the search for life in our Solar System. Mars is very important right now, in that we have a suite of ongoing missions designed to characterize the planet, locate potentially habitable sites, and seek biosignatures indicative of life. There is no doubt that sample-return missions will fly within the next 15 years, maybe sooner.

We receive papers having to do with lander missions, rover instruments, orbital reconnaissance mapping and planetary analysis, and papers about forward-contamination issues. Many papers focus on improved strategies to search for signs of early life, extreme ecosystem and Mars analogue studies, life's ability to withstand the space environment, and novel life-detection instruments.

If life existed elsewhere in the Universe, it would have left behind signatures. Understanding the telltale signs of extant microbial life, of extinct life preserved in the rock record, is essential for future planetary missions. Other planets beyond Mars are also included in the search for life—Europa, Titan, and Enceladas. Meteorites on the Moon may hold a record of conditions in the early Solar System and the early Earth as well.

How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few years?

For one thing, we will be seeing a great deal more having to do with extrasolar planets. We had an amazing special issue some time ago that dealt with the habitability of terrestrial exoplanets that orbit within the climatologically defined habitable zone of a solar system. Terrestrial-based exoplanet searches and studies focused on biosignature detection beyond our solar system will continue to become more important in future years as major research programs by ESA and NASA continue to be defined. But it is also true that a ripe research area some would call the "follow the energy approach" to astrobiology, which was featured in a recent special issue of Astrobiology, is becoming increasingly significant.

Understanding how life extracts energy from its environment, no matter how extreme the environmental conditions, will lead to improved non-Earth-centric life-detection strategies. Though our core issues will always be a major part of the journal, I'm seeing more and more papers having to do with questions of life beyond the confines of our Solar System.

Astrobiology
S.L. Cady, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers