exobiology

noun

Etymology: From exo- + biology, coined by American molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg.

1. The branch of biology dealing with exolife: (putative or predicted) extraterrestrial lifeforms (those originating from planets other than Earth).

   “Biology has lately given rise to a new discipline: exobiology, the study of extraterrestrial life. Ever since 1959, when analysis of a piece of meteor substance showed traces of organic compounds, a controversy has raged as to whether these compounds came into the atmosphere with the meteorite or whether they originate on earth.”