xenobiology n.

the study of the biology of extraterrestrial life forms

SF Encyclopedia


  • 1954 R. A. Heinlein Star Lummox in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction May 60 page image Robert A. Heinlein bibliography

    I have never taken any interest in xenobiology.

  • 1957 P. Anderson Call Me Joe in Astounding Science Fiction 19/2 page image Poul Anderson bibliography

    They stood in an outer office of the xenobiology section.

  • 1966 J. Brunner Product of the Masses in Worlds of If Apr. 101/1 page image John Brunner bibliography

    I’m not sufficiently grounded in xenobiology to know if the basic assumption is sound.

  • 1972 M. Z. Bradley Darkover Landfall vi. 64 Marion Zimmer Bradley bibliography

    There have been intelligent life-forms reported from three or four other planets; so far they have reported one simian, one feline, and three unclassifiable—xenobiology isn’t my specialty.

  • 1984 D. Duane My Enemy, My Ally vi. 79 Diane Duane bibliography

    ‘I thought he was in Life Sciences.’ ‘Xenobiology…This is his hobby, though. It’s useful enough’.

  • 1995 A. D. Foster Life Form iii. 36 Alan Dean Foster bibliography

    As soon as he reached the port he knew that the heretofore grand discoveries of lichen and fungi on Tycho V and Burke had been instantly relegated to the realm of footnotes in the young world of xenobiology.

  • 1996 W. Shatner Return xxix. 222 William Shatner bibliography

    Starfleet’s xenobiology records didn’t either.

  • 2004 P. F. Hamilton Pandora’s Star vii. 167 Peter F. Hamilton bibliography

    A little town of industrial-style buildings surrounded it, containing offices, laboratories, workshops, training facilities, and the xenobiology department.

  • 2012 J. Scalzi Redshirts (2013) 20 page image John Scalzi bibliography

    The Academy seemed like the best exit strategy. Spent four years there studying xenobiology and linguistics.

Research requirements

antedating 1954
Earliest cite

Robert Heinlein, 'The Star Lummox'

Last modified 2021-08-30 15:02:58
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.