![The figure illustrates the four main phases of low-mass star formation: from the gravitational collapse of the natal core of gas and dust (Prestellar Core), to the main accretion phase (Class 0/I protostar, age ∼104 -105 yr), followed by the protostar and its surrounding protoplanetary disk (Class I/II, age ∼105 -106 yr), and finally the revealed planetary system after the disk has dispersed (Class III, age ∼107 yr). Typical spatial and timescales are indicated for each stage. Generated with Google Gemini 3 Flash and modified. -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cradle-of-Life.png?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.SR] This chapter provides an overview of the different science cases covered by the “Cradle of Life” working group, which aims to leverage the capabilities of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) to trace the physical and chemical pathways toward stars and planets formation, how such stars impact their planets, and whether life could exist in such conditions.
At its highest frequencies, the SKAO will probe the earliest stages of the raw material fuelling planet formation, while enabling deep, unprecedented searches for prebiotic molecules both in high-mass and solar-type protostars. Concurrently, the lowest frequencies will be deployed to detect and characterize exoplanetary magnetic fields via their auroral radio emission, and the type of space weather a planet experiences from its host star.
Across the entire frequency range, the SKA telescopes will conduct systematic searches of technosignatures. Together, these high-impact research areas establish a comprehensive roadmap for the SKAO to uncover the origins of life in the universe.
Eleonora Bianchi, Joseph R. Callingham, the Cradle of Life working group
Comments: Published in Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII), 2026 (arXiv:2606.20366). Report-no: AASKAII/Bianchi02. Advancing Astrophysics with the SKAII (AASKAII) outlines the transformative scientific advances that will be enabled by the SKA telescopes
Subjects: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA); Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Report number: AASKAII/Bianchi02
Cite as: arXiv:2607.13867 [astro-ph.SR] (or arXiv:2607.13867v1 [astro-ph.SR] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.13867
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Submission history
From: Eleonora Bianchi
[v1] Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:16:20 UTC (3,980 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.13867
Astrobiology, Astronomy,
