Astrobiology in Europe, 20 years of expectations

Abstract During 20 years, the European astrobiologists collaborated within EANA, the European Astrobiology Network Association, to help European researchers developing astrobiology programmes to share their knowledge, to foster their cooperation, to attract young scientists to this quickly evolving interactive field of research, and to explain astrobiology to the public at large. The experiment of Stanley Miller in 1953 launched the ambitious hope that chemists would be able to shed light on the origins of life by recreating a simple life form in a test tube. However, the dream has not yet been accomplished, despite the great volume of effort and innovation put forward by the scientific community.