Gulliver and Diogenes--exobiological antitheses.

Gulliver field test results in extreme natural environments are presented. A proposed new exobiology experiment, based on the detection of adenosinetriphosphate (ATP), is described with laboratory results. Significant responses were obtained from the Gulliver field tests in approximately one hour. Responses were even more pronounced when the radioactive medium was applied directly to the soil. In the new life detection experiment, the firefly bioluminescent reaction is used to assay for micro-gamma quantities of microbial ATP, a compound ubiquitous in terrestrial life. Gulliver and the ATP experiment, named Diogenes, represent complimentary antitheses in extraterrestrial life detection. The former is general and the latter specific. Theoretical considerations are proposed as guidelines for extraterrestrial life detection experiments.