David C C Paling

David C. Catling is a Professor in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist whose research focuses on understanding the differences between the evolution of planets, their atmospheres, and their potential for life. He has participated in NASA's Mars exploration program and contributed research to help find life elsewhere in the Solar System and on planets orbiting other stars. He is also known for his work on the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and biosphere. Research includes how Earth's atmosphere became rich in oxygen, allowing complex life to evolve, and conditions conducive to the origin of life, , such as how soda lakes provide an answer to the phosphate problem of the origin of life.