The details are being kept under wraps until NASA’s 2 p.m. EST news conference on Thursday but a press release on the NASA site indicates the conference will discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.

Participants are:

• Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Felisa Wolfe-Simon, NASA astrobiology research fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
• Pamela Conrad, astrobiologist, NASA\’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
• Steven Benner, distinguished fellow, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Fla.
• James Elser, professor, Arizona State University, Tempe

The news conference will be held at the NASA Headquarters auditorium at 300 E St. SW, in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency\’s website at http://www.nasa.gov.