Micro to the Macro Biome: Can Biology Affect the Big Picture Through Small Changes?

Life has had a profound impact on the geological history of our planet, which in turn has had a profound impact back on the evolution of life. Life has been able to adapt and spread into every planetary nook and cranny. At this point in history, life is becoming able to engineer itself, with extreme consequences we are only dimly able to foresee. One probable outcome will be the facilitation of the expansion of the range of life to beyond our planetary cradle, an evolutionary step as profound as the ancient transition from sea to land. Current efforts at NASA and aboard the International Space Station will be discussed in this context.