Exomorphic Catalysis: A Discipline Dedicated to Energetic Disequilibria and the Activation of Life-Potential in Non-Terrestrial Environments

Kandice Kristine Lloyd

This white paper introduces exomorphic catalysis as a proposed discipline distinct from astrobiology and planetary engineering. Exomorphic catalysis investigates catalytic processes and energy disequilibria in planetary systems without assuming biology as the outcome, focusing instead on the conditions that enable or amplify self-sustaining chemical activation. The framework rests on three pillars: catalytic activation as a universal planetary driver, thermodynamic disequilibria as a measure of habitability potential, and a non-inoculative ethic for exploration. Comparative analysis of icy moons—including Enceladus, Europa, Titan, and Ganymede—demonstrates diverse activation pathways and their implications for both biotic and abiotic futures. Falsifiable hypotheses are advanced, ranging from the persistence of abiotic disequilibria to scaling laws of catalytic activation across planetary bodies. Exomorphic catalysis thus offers a unifying lens for evaluating planetary systems, with implications for astrobiology, geophysics, exoplanetary science, and climate studies. This paper aims to establish the discipline’s conceptual boundaries and invite cross-disciplinary research into the catalytic conditions shaping worlds, whether or not life arises within them.