Eco-Astronomy and Paleontology: Investigating Earth’s Harbored Life Through Interdisciplinary Perspectives – Insights from Sri Lanka

Eco Astronomy, a pioneering scientific discipline formally established in 2012 and articulated in 2016 at the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, represents a transformative convergence of Astrobiology, paleontology, and petrology. This interdisciplinary framework seeks to elucidate the fundamental prerequisites for life in extreme environments, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, by synthesizing paleontological and mineralogical data from Earth and other planetary systems. Central to this inquiry is the examination of habitability determinants—such as temperature, water availability, radiation shielding, sunlight, and oxygen levels—with a particular emphasis on planets orbiting G2-type stars, analogous to our Sun. Earth’s mineralogical evolution, driven by solar energy over 4.6 billion years, provides a foundational benchmark for comparative planetary studies. Eco Astronomy leverages fossil records from biodiverse regions, including Sri Lanka, Argentina, and the USA, spanning the Jurassic, Miocene, and Quaternary periods, to reconstruct ancient environmental conditions and evaluate their implications for planetary habitability. A key objective is the development of a comparative model that juxtaposes terrestrial fossil data with extraterrestrial geological traces, such as those from Mars, to unravel the intricate relationships between fossils, minerals, and life-sustaining conditions. Through the analysis of these interdisciplinary datasets, Eco Astronomy advances our understanding of life’s evolutionary trajectory, the potential for habitable environments beyond Earth, and the broader astrobiological implications for life in the universe. This research underscores the critical role of ongoing investigations in deciphering the complex dynamics of planetary habitability and the search for extraterrestrial life, offering profound insights into the universal principles governing the emergence and sustainability of life.