- Domagal-Goldman, Shawn;
- Kiang, Nancy Y;
- Parenteau, Niki;
- Catling, David C;
- DasSarma, Shiladitya;
- Fujii, Yuka;
- Harman, Chester E;
- Lenardic, Adrian;
- Pallé, Enric;
- Reinhard, Christopher T;
- Schwieterman, Edward W;
- Schneider, Jean;
- Smith, Harrison B;
- Tamura, Motohide;
- Angerhausen, Daniel;
- Arney, Giada;
- Airapetian, Vladimir S;
- Batalha, Natalie M;
- Cockell, Charles S;
- Cronin, Leroy;
- Deitrick, Russell;
- Genio, Anthony Del;
- Fisher, Theresa;
- Gelino, Dawn M;
- Grenfell, J Lee;
- Hartnett, Hilairy E;
- Hegde, Siddharth;
- Hori, Yasunori;
- Kaçar, Betül;
- Krissansen-Totten, Joshua;
- Lyons, Timothy;
- Moore, William B;
- Narita, Norio;
- Olson, Stephanie L;
- Rauer, Heike;
- Robinson, Tyler D;
- Rugheimer, Sarah;
- Siegler, Nick;
- Shkolnik, Evgenya L;
- Stapelfeldt, Karl R;
- Walker, Sara
For the first time in human history, we will soon be able to apply the
scientific method to the question "Are We Alone?" The rapid advance of
exoplanet discovery, planetary systems science, and telescope technology will
soon allow scientists to search for life beyond our Solar System through direct
observation of extrasolar planets. This endeavor will occur alongside searches
for habitable environments and signs of life within our Solar System. While the
searches are thematically related and will inform each other, they will require
separate observational techniques. The search for life on exoplanets holds
potential through the great diversity of worlds to be explored beyond our Solar
System. However, there are also unique challenges related to the relatively
limited data this search will obtain on any individual world. This white paper
reviews the scientific community's ability to use data from future telescopes
to search for life on exoplanets. This material summarizes products from the
Exoplanet Biosignatures Workshop Without Walls (EBWWW). The EBWWW was
constituted by a series of online and in person activities, with participation
from the international exoplanet and astrobiology communities, to assess state
of the science and future research needs for the remote detection of life on
planets outside our Solar System.