The Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) of the National Science Foundation(NSF) announces the creation of an opportunity to enhance knowledge about "Life in Extreme Environments" (LExEn) through a highly interdisciplinary, integrated research program.

The LExEn research program will explore the relationships between organisms and the environments within which they exist, with a strong emphasis upon those life-supporting environments that exist near the extremes of planetary conditions. In addition, the LExEn program will explore planetary environments in our own solar system and beyond to help identify possible sites for life.