An Introduction to Astrobiology

Book Description

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astrobiology. It begins with an examination of how life may have arisen on Earth and then reviews the evidence for possible life on Mars, Europa and Titan. The potential for life in exoplanetary systems and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence are also discussed. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur enthusiasts as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. The book is also supported by a webstite hosting further teaching materials.

Customer Reviews:

More astro than biology.......2004-10-22

This is an excellent textbook, with straightforward problems ... and answers! There's plenty of solid material here and very little fluff. The information is well presented, up-to-date, and easy to read.

Three of the nine chapters are about the potential for life elsewhere in our planetary system, in particular on Mars, Europa, and Titan. Another three chapters are on extrasolar planets: how to find them, what we've discovered so far about them, and what signatures of life we might try to look for on them in the future. There's also a chapter on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). That leaves two chapters for the definition and origin of life, the Earth's acquisition of the necessary water and carbon, and so on. I'd prefer to see quite a bit more on biology here. I'd like to see much more discussion of the development of multicellular life, the changes in the Earth's environment caused by the production of oxygen, and the evolution of humans.

That said, I really liked the chapter on the origin of life. It was illuminating to read about the origin of chirality, written by a specialist in organic matter in meteorites. And I also especially liked the chapters on exoplanets.

Between Necessity and Probability: Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)

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An interesting book about a fundamental question

Between Necessity and Probability: Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)
Radu Popa
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540204903

Book Description

This study investigates the major theories of the origins of life in the light of modern research with the aim of distinguishing between the necessary and the optional and between deterministic and random influences in the emergence of what we call ‘life.’ Life is treated as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving force should be viewed independently from its Earth-bound natural history. The author synthesizes all the fundamental life-related developments in a comprehensive scenario, and makes the argument that understanding life in its broadest context requires a material-independent perspective that identifies its essential fingerprints.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting book about a fundamental question.......2004-11-08

How did life originate? Well, it's a wide open question. As Popa tells us, an explanation that is missing a critical step won't do. There are plenty of clues. But Popa shows us that there are still many approaches to putting the clues together.

There are plenty of approaches that are being pursued today. Popa tells us about many of them. Still, let's remind ourselves of some of them. One is to look for fossil evidence and DNA evidence of our earliest ancestors. Say that these turn out to be hyperthermophiles. Use that information, as well as the stability properties of RNA and DNA, to deduce the environment life originated in. A second idea is to look at the way we synthesize RNA (or DNA) today. Use that information to speculate about how the first RNA and DNA evolved. A third idea is to look at the self-assembly properties of entities for clues. A fourth idea is to note the similarity of ATP and the nucleic acid adenine. Assume this is no coincidence! A fifth idea is to do all sorts of experiments with collections of monomers and see if they arrange themselves into replicating strings. A sixth idea is to concentrate on computer simulations of all this. Computer simulations of the origin of replication show that there are some dangers, such as the "selfish RNA catastrophe," the "short-circuit catastrophe," the "population collapse catastrophe," and simply the risk of too many replication errors. Draw conclusions from the fact that these hazards were successfully avoided. A seventh idea is to at least answer the question of what came first, replication, metabolism, or cellularization. And so on. It seems that there is a great deal we aren't at all sure of.

Popa starts with the issue of the issue of the development of cellularization, metabolism, and replication. He asserts that since all are needed for life, they must have evolved together, not serially. He states that the ATP coincidence probably is unimportant, with ATP's use as an energy carrier being a late development. And he takes on the mathematical modelers by stating that they generally omit first order effects by not tracing the energy flow and the degradation of the evolving entities.

The issues Popa dwells on most are the energy sources, bioinformation, chirality, and the origin of specificity (as opposed to "metabolism" or "homeostasis"). Of these, the part on chirality was the most interesting to me. Popa discusses the implication that life's chirality implies the existence of some large-scale chiral driver, such as rotating vortices or asymmetries in right and left circularly polarized light.

There's also quite a bit of useful material about the definition of life. Popa is right to make the point that "life" and "living entities" are not at all synonymous.

Anyway, it is an interesting book about a tough problem: I'm glad I can just read about it and don't have to solve it!

Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

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A brilliant and comprehensive exposure of the fascinating field of Astrobiology.
Brilliant but demanding overview of a new field
Best astrobiology textbook on the market now

Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Jonathan Lunine
Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805380426

Customer Reviews:

A brilliant and comprehensive exposure of the fascinating field of Astrobiology........2006-07-11

Not only is Lunine a brilliant astrobiologist but his book, represents and absolutely fantastic read. For a well educated general audience as well as for the already initiated astrobiologist, Lunine offers a brilliant and comprehensive exposure of the most current ideas in the fascinating field of Astrobiology. I highly recommend it. Ihrenes 2006.

Brilliant but demanding overview of a new field.......2006-01-04

This astrobiology textbook is brilliant but demanding -- not everyone, even science fans, wants to know this much about life in the universe! Lunine describes his book as "a comprehensive treatment of astrobiology for upper level undergraduate students and beginning graduate students". The book is also targeted at senior scientists who want an introduction to this new discipline. The resulting volume of 586 densely packed pages is a tour de force of basic physics and chemistry as well as biology and planetary science. The first half the book leads the reader through the fundamentals of physics, biochemistry, and microbiology essential to understanding the origin of life. The second half covers life on Earth, the habitability of Mars, Europa and Titan, other planetary systems, the co-evolution of life and its host planet, and the evolution of intelligence. The mostly monochrome illustrations are well selected, but printing quality occasionally lapses -- the only reason I rate this book four stars and not five.

Best astrobiology textbook on the market now.......2004-12-01

Astrobiology is a relatively new science. Not completely new: I've been reading astrobiology books since the 1960s. But only recently have some fairly decent astrobiology textbooks been written that picture a core of topics needed to cover the subject. These include the definition, nature, and origin of life; the development of life on Earth, the mass extinctions on Earth; possibilities of life elsewhere in the planetary system, possibilities for life to survive in outer space; changes to the Earth's environment brought about by life; the nature and evolution of consciousness and intelligent life; detection of extrasolar planets; and signatures of extraterrestrial life. They also include some astronomy: formation of galaxies, habitable galaxies and habitable portions of galaxies, formation of stars and planets in these galaxies, migration of planets, statistics on deadly collisions of big objects with potentially life-bearing planets, and the significance of risks to life such as supernovae and gamma ray bursters.

So far, no book is ideal in covering all these topics for upper division college students. But I think this one comes closest.

Since this book might be read by those who know plenty of astronomy but not much biology, or by those who know biology but not astronomy, the book begins with some needed background: fundamentals of physics, physical chemistry, and biochemistry. It then gets into the question of how the elements we're made of were synthesized in the first place. And it shows that our Universe is fairly well suited for life, even if not completely ideal.

Then we get into an important topic, the thermodynamic foundations of life. The book makes the point that one always has to be aware of the energetics of life: life needs energy, so where does that energy come from? In addition, life requires a low entropy state. Such states are not all that hard to come by, but one must know how one is achieved. And life implies a high information content. Again, one must know how to measure that content and decide where it has come from. The author makes the point that given sufficient free energy, systems not in equilibrium will exhibit self-organizing and self-complexifying properties. I found this fascinating. It was almost as though the Purpose of Life were to reduce carbon dioxide, and life were merely a side-effect of catalyzing this reaction.

Next there is a fascinating discussion of how life might have evolved. Did we start with replicators, cell boundaries, substrates, or proteins, or a little of all of them? Was there an "RNA world" before the "DNA world?" And a "TNA" or "PNA" (peptide nucleic acid) world before that? Can we have autocatalysis without replication?

After that comes a discussion of extreme environments, given that life's last common ancestor may well have been an extremophile. And then we learn about the faint early Sun, a carbon dioxide greenhouse effect on Earth, the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, and a possible "snowball Earth." We read about possibilities of life elsewhere in our planetary system: Europa, Titan, and Mars. And we find out about techniques for discovering extraterrestrial signatures of life. There's a very good and up-to-date section on extrasolar planets.

The textbook ends with a little material on the nature of self-awareness and on future prospects for the human species and civilization. I think it is an excellent text.

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Great fundamental Astronomy Text
A Fundamental Astronomy Reference
A Great Astronomy Textbook!
Fundamental to students

Fundamental Astronomy

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540341439

Book Description

Fundamental Astronomy gives a well-balanced and comprehensive introduction to the topics of classical and modern astronomy. While emphasizing both the astronomical concepts and the underlying physical principles, the text provides a sound basis for more profound studies in the astronomical sciences.
The fifth edition of this successful undergraduate textbook has been extensively modernized and extended in the parts dealing with the Milky Way, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology as well as with extrasolar planets and the solar system (as a consequence of recent results from satellite missions and the new definition by the International Astronomical Union of planets, dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies). Furthermore a new chapter on astrobiology has been added.
Long considered a standard text for physical science majors, Fundamental Astronomy is also an excellent reference and entrée for dedicated amateur astronomers.

Customer Reviews:

Great fundamental Astronomy Text.......2005-10-26

As an amateur astronomer who loves theory and the math that goes with it, I found this text to be utterly exquisite for helping me recapture a lot of my old math skills. While the real amount of calculus needed in the text was not overtly taxing, I did find the text very useful indeed for requiring the use of a strong algebra background, along with lots of Trig, and of course, geometry and Calculus.

The problems in this book were intriguing, challenging and just awesome in every respect. For example, I found myself for the first time since I can recall, drawing Trig and geometrical diagrams to assist in visualizing a particular problem as an aid toward the ultimate answer! These problems, all of them mathematical in nature, are extremely interesting and encourage you to make a sketch of the phenomenon at hand in order to arrive at a solution.

And in addition to the problems, the text has very useful solved examples that show you how a particular problem calculation is reached. You really do learn a lot just from these examples.

I think the book might have benefitted from having even more exercises in it, which to me would make it even more useful for a semester university course in introductory Astrophysics. Instead of having 73 exercises, perhaps 150-200 problems would have been more 'whetting' to an appetite like mine is for Astronomy. But, I can heartily recommend that this book, if completed and all the problems worked, will definitely prepare one for a more challenging text with more Math and problems!

The authors could only improve this thing with more text length and more problems, as far as I am concerned. The appendixes and Tables in the back give the student a little bit of good background to the Math needed in the book as well.

This text is a complete WINNER in the category of INTRODUCTORY TEXTBOOKS for the beginning course in college Astronomy!

A Fundamental Astronomy Reference.......2005-07-01

Fundamental Astronomy is both the title and an excellent description of the content of this handsome hard back volume. For the book to reach the fourth edition, it must be hitting a niche in the market. The preface to the first edition in 1987 identifies that market as a "university textbook for a first course in astronomy" which is also suited for serious amateurs who "find the popular texts too trivial". In my opinion, that description from the original preface is "spot on" and makes this volume a must-buy for any serious amateur looking for a comprehensive overview of matters astronomical.

The book covers the basics of astronomy, stellar astrophysics and mainly features of our Universe which are relatively close-at-hand. Large scale structure and cosmology are less than ten percent of the content. It covers all topics to considerable depth, far more so than most publications aimed at a general readership. It is mathematical, although the maths is present largely for academic completeness, and can be skimmed or by-passed as required without reducing to any great extent, the utility provided. Its usefulness for education purposes is enhanced by worked examples in each section followed by exercises.

Within its 19 major sections, it contains much relevant and dare I say fundamental material. The book is well illustrated with mainly monochrome plates which are relevant to the subject at hand plus many carefully constructed, concise graphics and illustrations.

This is a comprehensive reference volume, which will age but slowly on any serious amateur's book shelf, as the subject matter is largely timeless.

A Great Astronomy Textbook!.......2004-01-24

.This is a great and comprehensive primary textbook for a student. It is massive introduction to the huge field of astronomical study, and as such contains much of the basic concepts and plenty of hands-on exercises.
I have been mainly using the Finnish version, but having also browsed through the English one I can safely say that the two differ from each other only minimally and thus my experiences with the original hold true with the translation too.
As an end note I might point out, that even though having studied astronomy at the university, it is by no means my area of expertise: I'm majoring in linguistics. That alone, I think, proves how clear and well-written this tome really is: even an Arts students can read it and actually understand and learn! ;)

Fundamental to students.......2001-01-10

I am an astronomy student, i like so much this book, because i can laern all about the fundamental ideas in astrophisics, is so easy to read, so clear and it have a wonderful content.

The items of this book are so importants to any student in astronomy, and is very interesting to the other people, if they like study the universe.

I like so much the part about CCD, and the study of spectrography, I realy want to have this book with me.

Thank you so much.

Book Description

Astrobiology -- the study of the intimate relationship between life and the cosmos -- is a fast-growing field that touches on aspects of cosmology, astrophysics, and chemistry. In the first scholarly overview of this dynamic field, biochemists Kevin W. Plaxco and Michael Gross tell the story of life from the Big Bang to the present.

Emphasizing the biochemical nature of astrobiology, Plaxco and Gross examine the origin of the chemical elements, the events behind the developments that made the Universe habitable, and the ongoing sustenance of life. They discuss the formation of the first galaxies and stars, the diverse chemistry of the primordial planet, the origins of metabolism, the evolution of complex organisms, and the feedback regulation of Earth's climate. They also explore life in extreme habitats, potential extraterrestrial habitats, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

This broadly accessible introduction captures the excitement, controversy, and evolution of the dynamic young field of astrobiology. It shows clearly how scientists from different disciplines can combine their special knowledge to enhance our understanding of the Universe.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Book For The Armchair Scientist .......2006-09-27

Imagine that your best friend were some brilliant world-famous scientist. Now imagine that the two of you were sharing a beer one night, and you carelessly asked the question: "I wonder if there is life elsewhere in the Universe?"

This book would be his answer.

"Astrobiology," by Kevin Plaxco and Michael Gross, is the perfect book for the armchair scientist. It should sit on your bookshelf beside Hawking's "Brief History of Time." It would also be an excellent book for the curious undergraduate.

Plaxco and Gross fill the book with easy, accessible prose, and lots of great science. Best of all, the sidebars, with which the book is liberally sprinkled. They make you feel like you are busy bending an elbow with a scientist that has a wicked sense of humor. After all, how many science books can you think of that use the word `flummoxed'?

If the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" had a chapter on astrobiology, this would be it.

Astrobiology: An Attractive Introduction.......2006-08-07

Biology is not complete without the astro-physical environment that produces the sun, the earth and the building blocks of life.
We can never fully understand life and evolution if we don't include the universe.
At bottom it is ecology extended to the cosmic environment.
A huge eye-opener for me was Barrow & Tippler (1994) The Anthropic Cosmological Principle.
They showed that my biology training was hopelessly incomplete.
A second eye-opener was Tibor Gánti (2003) The Principles of Life.
For the first time in my life I had the feeling that I truly understood what the essence of life is and what the origin of life problem actually is, despite reading many books about the origin of life.
Now we have the science of astrobiology which combines both the universe as a cradle for life and insights into the nature of life.
I have been looking for some time for a suitable introduction into astrobiology until I found
Kevin Plaxco & Michael Gross (2006) Astrobiology: A Brief Introduction.
It is a very attractive book: a pleasure to read, enthusiastically and fluently written, full of relevant information, not loaded with boring details, the right price (indeed there are far more expensive introductions and textbooks).
Despite being an introduction, it is nourishing and thanks to being an introduction it is very digestible.
The book contains many stimulating thoughts and facts. Kevin Plaxco is a professor of chemistry. I think that chemistry
is the right science here: it is in the position to connect biology and astronomy (physics cannot bridge biology and astronomy because it differs too much from biology).
Michael Gross is a science writer. I suspect that a great part of the attractiveness of this book can be ascribed to him.
In the hands of Plaxco and Gross an otherwise boring table of yields of amino acids in the Miller-Urey experiment
becomes fascinating.
The book is richly illustrated with black and white illustrations and photographs (but fortunately no expensive glossy paper is used) and has many interesting sidebars.
[...].

Review of "Astrobiology: A Brief Introduction".......2006-07-18

I found this book to be a highly readable, thorough, accurate, well
balanced treatment of a topic that is increasingly capturing the
interest of scientists and anyone curious about their place in the
universe.

Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology

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Nice change of perspective from "Rare Earth"
Includes a blistering critique of the "rare earth" hypothesis
Is extraterrestrial life widespread?
"Politically Correct"
Must read... but beware...

Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology
David J. Darling
Manufacturer: Basic Books
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ASIN: 0465015638

Amazon.com

Are we alone? As the search for extraterrestrial intelligence comes more and more into the mainstream, scientists like David Darling step up to explain what we know and what's possible. His book Life Everywhere explores the history and current state of the field called, perhaps unfortunately, astrobiology. Devoted neither to organisms skimming the sun's surface nor to possible signs of intelligence among celebrities--though not explicitly rejecting these phenomena--astrobiology is concerned with the basic questions of life: What is a living organism? Is it common, or likely, elsewhere in the universe? Is it worth trying to communicate across light years? Darling, an astronomer and science journalist, has a knack for explaining complexities and fine details that carries his prose forward where other authors have foundered; the reader is swept up in the enthusiasm of the researchers Darling describes. Writing of the astronomical search for signs of life far off in the galaxy, he captures the thrill of this work:

Their efforts will revolutionize astrobiology, more so perhaps than spacecraft parachuting down out of the orange sky of Titan or roving the rock-strewn deserts of Mars. The world-shaking headlines of the next twenty years will likely come from giant instruments, on the ground and in Earth orbit, gazing with far sight at the planetary systems of other stars.

Since most research germane to the field has been done here on Earth, Darling explores such hot topics as heat vents and other geothermal mini-biomes, meteoritic dissection, and, of course, SETI's radio telescope arrays. Mars, Venus, and the moons of the outer planets are all major characters, and their stories will reinvigorate most readers' excitement about the prospects of having neighbors just down the cosmic street. Ending with a set of hypotheses and brief explorations of their ramifications if shown to be true, Life Everywhere is an outstanding and thought-provoking look at what could ultimately be the most world-shaking research ever conducted. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

The scientific story of the coming centurythe inevitable discovery of life on other planets and what it will mean for our understanding of earth.

To many people, the main question about extraterrestrial life is whether or not it exists. But to the scientific community, that question has already been answered: It does. So confident are scientists of the existence of life on other planets that they've invested serious amounts of money, time and prestige in finding and studying it. NASA has started an Institute of Astrobiology, for instance, and the University of Washington, Seattle, began in September 1999 to accept graduate students into its Department of Astrobiology.

Life Everywhere is the first book to lay out for a general reader what the new science of astrobiology is all about. It asks the fascinating questions researchers are asking themselves and one another: --What is life?

--How does it originate?

--How often does life survive once it arises?

--How does evolution work?

--What determines whether complex or even intelligent life will emerge from more primitive forms?

--Informed by interviews with most of the experts in this nascent subject, Life Everywhere introduces readers to one of the most important scientific disciplines of the coming century.

Customer Reviews:

Nice change of perspective from "Rare Earth" .......2006-03-25

I think this is a good book to read after reading "Rare Earth". The writing style is definately more casual and as if you are inside the mind of Darling, compared to the more "here's the information" style of other books. It took a while to get used to it, but in the end it was a nice change to have that type of commentary.

The book does a good job of covering the various areas of astrobiology, however, I think Rare Earth probably does a better job in talking about a few things. This is one reason why I recommend reading Rare Earth first. The other reason obviously being the critique of the Rare Earth hypothesis, and one section that totally rips apart Guillermo Gonzalez's "hidden agenda" as he calls it. The two books are kind of like listening to a debate, and both seem to have good arguments in some place but slightly unreasonable arguments in other places. Overall it gives you a good feel for where we stand today in our knowledge and what we can reasonably assume about the possibility of life elsewhere (microbial or complex).

At times I did feel like Darling was being a bit unfair to the Rare Earth authors - attacking them or the book a bit too much. But in the end he settled down.

Overall a good book that complements Rare Earth well.

Includes a blistering critique of the "rare earth" hypothesis.......2006-01-12

Two things have happened in recent years to persuade most scientists that life beyond earth is not just possible, but likely. Indeed some people, including myself, believe there is, as the title of David Darling's book has it, "Life Everywhere."

Well, not in the center of the sun or on the surface of a neutron star--at least not life as we know it.

"Life as we know it." This is an important phrase that comes up again and again in discussions about astrobiology. "Life as we know it" means life with a carbon base and liquid water. David Darling considers silicone-based life and even life forms so bizarre that we wouldn't recognize them if we saw them, but basically he sticks with life as we know it in this very interesting answer to those who think that life in the universe is rare.

The two things:

(1) The discovery of extremophiles, bacteria that live in sulfurous hot springs, deep inside the earth, and at the bottom of deep oceans. Instead of deriving their energy from the sun, they are able to use heat coming from within the earth to metabolize.

(2) The discovery of scores of planets (albeit not earth-sized planets--yet) revolving around other stars.

What the first discovery means is that life doesn't have to exist or begin in conditions such as there are or have been on the surface of the earth, but can thrive in places previous thought hostile to life. That opens up a whole lot of the universe to life including parts of our solar system previously thought inimical to life, such as in an ocean under the icy crust of Europa or beneath the inhospitable surface of Mars. And the fact that planets are now clearly plentiful means that there are numerous places for life to develop.

Darling, who is an unusually lucid writer and a man who gets to the bottom of things, begins with the nitty-gritty problem of just how to define life. If you haven't been introduced to this strangely knotty problem, this book may open your eyes. Do we consider reproduction, metabolism, growth, etc. in our definition? And which of these elements are essential and which are not? The postmodern definition now preferred by most people I have read is "undergoes Darwinian evolution." Is that adequate? Is that the essence? Darling puts all the cards on the table and lets you decide.

Next Darling recapitulates ideas about how life began. The main new idea is that life may be an inevitable consequence of the nature of matter and energy. It appears that matter is self-organizing. Darling reviews the ideas of how lifeless matter might replicate and how cells might develop from various molecules and water. These "leaky membranes" could be the precursors of the first biological cells. (p. 40)

He goes on to make the case for a universe with abundant life. But along the way he presents a blistering critique of Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (2000) by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee, in which it is argued that the circumstances that allow life are rare and that those circumstances as seen on earth are unlikely to be replicated anywhere else. Darling not only utterly destroys their argument, point by point, but even shows that part of the reason that it was advanced was because they were under the influence of one Guillermo Gonzalez, professor of astronomy at the University of Washington, who is also a creationist with the usual supernatural agenda.

This was bombshell to me. But Darling shows that nearly every argument that Gonzalez makes is designed (pun intended) to discredit the idea that there is life anywhere but on earth. On page 112, Darling refers to an article entitled "Live Here or Nowhere" co-authored by Gonzalez for a publication called "Connections" published by Reasons to Believe, Inc. of Pasadena, California, whose mission is "to communicate the uniquely factual basis for belief in the Bible." The article concludes, "The fact that the sun's location is fine-tuned to permit the possibility of life--and even more precisely fine-tuned to keep the location fixed in that unique spot where life is possible--powerfully suggests divine design."

A couple more points:

First, Darling argues that life forms on other worlds, however dissimilar their chemistry, are likely to be familiar to us in the sense that if there is an atmosphere, some will have wings, and if there is an ocean, some with have fins, if there is a solid ground to walk upon, some will walk and run, and if there is light to see, some with have eyes. This idea of "convergence" is dictated by the laws of physics which requires evolutionary adaptations to take forms that work efficiently within certain environments. Of course if the life forms we eventually discover exist in great dust clouds, their adaptations may be very dissimilar and surprising. Even on solid ground here on earth some run and some hop, some crawl and some slither.

Second, since it is now known that bacteria spores can exist more or less indefinitely (some have been revitalized after hundreds of millions of years of dormancy: see page 150), the once discredited idea of panspermia, namely that life originated elsewhere in the universe and arrived here as spores, has been rejuvenated. Personally, I've always liked this idea championed by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe; however this book has convinced me that life could arrive from without or develop from within. Either way (or both) seem likely to me.

Is extraterrestrial life widespread?.......2004-12-22

This book is actually in the form of a long essay defending the hypothesis that life, at least in microbial form, is widespread in the Galaxy.

The author starts by trying to define life. Is it replication? Evolution? Metabolism? Next, he discusses the question of the atmosphere of the early Earth. A reducing atmosphere might produce complex organic molecules in some warm little pond. But the Earth is unlikely to have had such an atmosphere then. That leads to the question of where life originated. Near ocean vents, or on (or just under) the ocean floor? And when life originated. Over 4 billion years ago? When the Earth was still being bombarded by bolides?

The author then discusses meteorites, along with the possibilities for them having brought organic molecules (or even life) to Earth. After that, there's some material on extrasolar planets, including "hot Jupiters," which may migrate right through a stellar system, wiping out all the rest of the planets in it.

A very interesting section is Darling's critique of Ward and Brownlee's book, "Rare Earth." That book contains the view that although microbial life is probably widespread on other worlds, multicellular life (and especially intelligent life) will prove to be rare. Actually, that view, while a minority one, is unremarkable. After all, there is good evidence that unicellular life originated rather quickly on Earth while multicellular life took quite a bit longer. But Ward and Brownlee go further than that, claiming that several things about Earth are special and unusual: the Moon, the exact spacing between catastrophic events, being in the right part of the "habitable zone," having Jupiter to shield it from heavier bolide bombardment, having a high metallicity Sun, having plate tectonics, and being in the right part of the Galaxy! Darling presents interesting rebuttals to these points. And he finishes the chapter by pointing out that a collaborator of Ward and Brownlee, Guillermo Gonzalez, keeps finding signs that the Earth is unique. Darling asks if Gonzalez is letting his religious beliefs influence his scientific views (Gonzalez says that his views that life's origin involved the personal involvement of a supernatural creator have motivated his science and vice-versa). Um, that is a good question. Still, I wonder if that's altogether fair. Ought we ask about Simon Conway Morris, whose religious beliefs support his views on convergence? Or about, say, Fred Hoyle, with his views on panspermia? Or about Freeman Dyson, whose scientific ideas seem rather independent of his religious views? Or about, um, me?

In any case, Darling continues with the debate between Stephen Jay Gould and Simon Conway Morris. Gould argues for divergionism, and says that were we to "replay the tape of life," the odds are that the chordate worm that first incorporated what became the human body plan would have been lost and there would have been no humans. Conway Morris argues for convergionism, and says that no matter what specific species survive, niches tend to get filled. And that means that some creatures very much like humans would have evolved had we replayed that tape. Darling agrees, and adds that even intelligence appears to be convergent.

The author then tells about upcoming space missions to look for life in the solar system and to discover more about extrasolar planets.

Darling concludes that life is a universal phenomenon, life's most important characteristic is to engage in Darwinian evolution, life originates on planets and moons, planets are very common, the evolution of life involves contingency and convergence, and life can be both planet-wide and refugial. But he says that future events may get us to change our minds on some of this. What if we find life on Mars? Or find definitive evidence that Mars has always been sterile? Or find life (or even find complex life) on Europa? What if we spot an atmosphere on an extrasolar planet that suggests life abounds there? What if we find bacteria in interstellar space? What if we find life based on silicon instead of carbon? Or make contact with extraterrestrial artificial life? And while it might be tough to verify it, what if we were to discover that there is no other intelligent life (or no other life) in the universe?

While it wouldn't surprise too many people, the author says it would also be significant were we to verify the existence of a very deep, hot biosphere such as the one Thomas Gold has proposed.

This book is easy to read and informative. I recommend it.

"Politically Correct".......2003-10-17

This is one of eight books on Astrobiology which were rushed out after the publication of Joseph's revolutionary and ground breaking text, in May of 2000. Like the other seven competing volumes, this text differs from Joseph's, in that it strictly holds to the "party" line, as approved by the United States government, and repeats, without any critical analysis, mainstream scientific dogma. Now, don't get me wrong. Although he avoids mentioning Joseph's book--which clearly triggered the writing of his own--Darling does an otherwise good job of provding a "politically correct" overview of the status quo. If you are interested in the views held by mainstream, government funded scientists, this is the book for you.

Must read... but beware..........2002-07-07

I would definitely recommend to buy and read this book, but beware... this book is very thought provocing! I have had a Christian (Catholic) education and although I have always been very interested in exact sciences, I never read a book before that challenges you to reconsider so fundamentally the origin of life. I bought this book from Amazon.com ZShops and even now, 6 weeks later, it is not yet completely finished because I needed time after every chapter to let sink down the information.

This book very clearly explains what astrobiology is about and gives you lots of ideas to think about.
One minor point : the writing style is not always very fluent.
Overall a really good book and a must have !

Book Description

Science has worked hard to piece together the story of the evolution of our world up to this point, but only recently have we developed the understanding and the tools to describe the entire life cycle of our planet. Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee, a geologist and an astronomer respectively, are in the vanguard of the new field of astrobiology. Combining their knowledge of how the critical sustaining systems of our planet evolve through time with their understanding of how stars and solar systems grow and change throughout their own life cycles, the authors tell the story of the second half of Earth's life. In this masterful melding of groundbreaking research and captivating, eloquent science writing, Ward and Brownlee provide a comprehensive portrait of Earth's life cycle that allows us to understand and appreciate how the planet sustains itself today, and offers us a glimpse of our place in the cosmic order.

Customer Reviews:

Very good read.......2007-09-17

Some parts of this book repeat several times (could have been edited better), but it is an eye opening book. The latest theories are represented here in a very logical progression. Very enjoyable and educational read.

Earth systems logical thoght processes........2006-07-11

The ideas exposed in this book may not be shared by all astrobiologists/scientists however I find its Earth systems approach highly valuable, taking the reader through the thinking process behind most current astrobiological hypothesis on the evolution of a habitable planet. Thus it is not the conclusions it reaches which I personally find of the highest value but its underlying logical thought process and the manner in which the author approaches as well the non specialized reader by ways of powerful analogies. Ihrenes 2006.

One of the best popular science books in print.......2006-01-03

I am not a scientist, but have an avid interest in science. In particular, I am fascinated by evolution, cosmology and astronomy. That's what makes this book so compelling. Few authors have been able to match such good writing with such compelling subject matter (Timothy Ferris has; notably, Stephen Hawking has not).

Yes, there are some editing errors, but they do not detract in any substantive way from the book.

The reviewer who indicated the authors were writing some political tome aimed at the global warming denialists, Republicans, etc. has obviously not read the book. If anything, Ward and Brownlee tend to skim over the short-term impact of human-introduced greenhouse gases. In fact, the book's sweeping timescale largely subsumes that issue. Where it is discussed, it is done so in an even-handed way. I do wish they would have added a chapter to hit harder the short-term consequences of human activity on the environment - not because I have a political agenda, but because I have an interest in the science of it.

Those minor criticisms aside, with Rare Earth, and now with this book, Ward and Brownlee have made major contributions to the public's understanding of their respective disciplines.

In short, I would say Life and Death and Rare Earth are two of the most influential books I have read in recent years.

Enjoyment from a dusty subject.......2005-06-11

While this book does have a few errors that should have been picked up before printing and distributing, the overall content of the book is fascinating and keeps the reader entertained throughout the entire reading experience. I used to read books to fall asleep, but I couldn't put this one down. Not only did they do a good job of helping you imagine what they are discussing, but they also made it understandable to the average Joe. I thought this book's concept of the whole subject, along with the manner in which it was presented was a compelling mixture. I would suggest this book to anyone who has the slightest curiosity about the future of our Earth.
Even though they end with a bleak and ravaged earth, there are many steps along the way that show how interesting the planet's demise will be, from a strictly observational view. The planet covered in ice, which has happened a few times in the past, is shown here as one of the greater signs of an "Apocalypse". Water levels recede from the shores and areas that can support life wither away and die completely. The monumentous changes in the weather across the globe affecting the biosphere in major ways. The authors do a spectacular job of bringing you to the scene and helping you imagine it for yourself. The future's lack of plants kills the animals that eat them. Some plants exist for a short while but are not a decent source of nutrients for the other living beings. Heavy winds tear across the plains, devastating the soil until those plants finally expire. The authors try to show how these things have already been set in to motion and could be starting to show as we speak. The number of plant species has begun its decline, heralding the beginning of animal extinctions, which we are not helping to avoid with the way we live on this earth.
Through their use of the language, along with their knowledge of Astrology, Biology, Chemistry, and Geology, they float you through time. From the beginning of the earth as a giant molten rock, they slowly show us how they believe the earth has come to be in its present form. We see life as we know it slowly fade as the authors take us into their vision of the abysmal future that awaits our gentle planet and all its inhabitants. With the past, present and future looking so grim, one is entranced by the words of these men.
The authors discuss the evolution of life on earth throughout the evolving environmental, geological and astrophysical conditions. Then project further in time, using these theoretical conditions, into the distant future. From climate changes and ice ages all the way up to the sun's eventual growth into what is known as a "White Dwarf." They discuss the theoretical effects on all forms of life in the earth's biosphere and on the earth itself. They do not really get into humanity's involvement. Humans have the ability to modify their environment for the better or for the worse. Based on the advances in science and technology over the past few hundred years, one could expect these advances to continue to grow well into the next few centuries. Humans may be able to prevent, if not delay, at least some of the abysmal consequences. The ultimate fate of humanity, as portrayed by the authors, does indeed look rather bleak; but time will tell how well we humans make out in the end.
I enjoyed being put in the moment that Ward and Brownlee were describing. I also enjoyed their take no heckling attitude, especially because I believe much more in scientific evidence than faith in something more powerful. The Authors' sense of perspective and their cynicism towards those who don't fully believe in the scientific evidence provide in their book allowed me a genuinely entertaining reading experience.

An entertaining and informative read.......2005-04-26

At the best of times, geology is probably a dry subject but the rewards for a story are great. Geology is a subject which has the capacity to incorporate just about any other branch of science - in an historical sense, and this is what Ward and Brownlee have set out to do! And the result is a fascinating example living up to Hutton's assessment, "The past is the key to the present" - and the future!

Combining their astrobiological and geological backgrounds enables Ward and Brownlee to examine recent research in both their disciplines to present a rather complete picture of how our planet evolved, and how it may end. For any geologist with an interest in SF, there may be very little new here. The only thing I was vaguely disappointed about was they didn't mention the role Antarctica plays in our current climate, preferring to attribute it all to the formation of the Himalayas. If there is anything that can be guaranteed in geology, it is that there is not one process acting at any one time causing things!

But that aside, I think the authors shone brilliantly at describing everything in a way which easily conjures up the imagery in your mind without being too verbose. Sometimes they use anologies, but most of the time, they used facts - and current facts as well! Kudos as well for looking into space for some speculation on what will happen to our planet - and galaxy - and how it impacts on life.(Would have liked to have had mention of our solar system bobbing up and down through the galactic plane and ice age/asteroid impact through time, but alas...)

I think the book only fell down towards the end there where they got a little bit waffly and little bit negative. Sure, they say, we are scientists and it is us who are reasonable and logical while Science Fiction is for the unrealistic, but... I still think humans have a long way to go with science and who knows what new twists in physics we'll unearth. Afterall, at one time, black holes didn't exits, then when they were proven to exist, nothing escaped their gravity well, and then even that got recently recanted. Just like in geology there are many process which result in an outcome, there are undoubtedly many more refinements to the laws of physics waiting to be discovered. At least the authors put forward some good ideas, even if they tended to rubbish them...

Overall though, a very interesting book; it paints a decent 'unifying' picture for those with an earth science interest, and it is simply fascinating and very understandable for those who are simply interested in science!

Complete Course in Astrobiology (Physics Textbook)

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A Text on a Brand New Science

Complete Course in Astrobiology (Physics Textbook)

Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3527406603

Book Description

This up-to-date resource is based on lectures developed by experts in the relevant fields and carefully edited by the leading astrobiologists within the European community. Aimed at graduate students in physics, astronomy and biology and their lecturers, the text begins with a general introduction to astrobiology, followed by sections on basic prebiotic chemistry, extremophiles, and habitability in our solar system and beyond. A discussion of astrodynamics leads to a look at experimental facilities and instrumentation for space experiments and, ultimately, astrobiology missions, backed in each case by the latest research results from this fascinating field. Includes a CD-ROM with additional course material.

Customer Reviews:

A Text on a Brand New Science.......2007-06-06

This is a book on a science that just a very few years ago did not exist. Only in fairly recent times have we begun to look at things like prebiotic chemistry (things like amino acids that are the precursors of life), extremophiles (things living at the extremes of environment like the hot vents in the deep ocean), and habitability in our solar system (especially the search for signs of life on Mars and the search for water everywhere).

This book, intended for graduate students was produced in Germany and is written by a series of experts, all European except one from JPL. Together they have produced a text, suitable for graduate student use that is as current as it is possible to be. It included current theory, a description of recent space missions and a description of planned future missions.

The CD included with the book provides for additional materials and PowerPoint slides to go with the lectures.

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Useful insights on the potential for life elsewhere

Life in the Universe
Dirk Schulze-Makuch , and Louis N. Irwin
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540206272

Book Description

Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats - the basic elements of living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This study examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as the primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

Customer Reviews:

Useful insights on the potential for life elsewhere.......2004-10-15

This is not a comprehensive astrobiology text. Instead, it pursues a few key topics to a depth rarely found in other works. These include the definition of life, lessons from the history of life on Earth, possible sources for life, the importance of carbon as opposed to silicon, alternatives to water as a solvent, and signatures of life. It's well worth reading for anyone who is interested in the topic.

Intelligent Life in the Universe: Principles and Requirements Behind Its Emergence (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)

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Well-organized and easy to read
Impressive, though technical and mathematical
a complete picture of astrobiology

Intelligent Life in the Universe: Principles and Requirements Behind Its Emergence (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)
P. Ulmschneider
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

ASIN: 3540439889

Book Description

This book addresses all scientists and others interested in the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. In particular, the author scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution and the likely future of mankind. The first part of the book provides the necessary background information from space and life sciences, thus making the book also accessible to students and the scientifically educated public.

Customer Reviews:

Well-organized and easy to read.......2004-10-08

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It is carefully written, has an enormous amount of up-to-date information, and covers the subject reasonably well. Astrobiology is a relatively new subject, and this is one of the best books about it. I was very impressed by the amount of material Ulmschneider was able to cover in only 250 pages and how clearly he explained everything. He went through the origin of the chemical elements, planet formation, the threat of planetary migration, the search for extrasolar planets, planetary atmospheric instabilities, theories on the origin of life on Earth, the evolution of life, the threats to the Earth's environment from the existence of life (such as the Huronic glaciation), the search for extraterrestrial life, and much more. That included some speculative material, some of which I found dubious. But that does not detract from the overall value of this book.

Impressive, though technical and mathematical.......2003-11-04

In this densely written book, Heidelberg University professor Peter Ulmschneider covers a remarkably wide range of questions related to extraterrestrial life and intelligence, and does so with convincing authority. His work, part of Springer's Physics and Astronomy series, has the flavor of a university textbook, with numerous graphs, tables, and diagrams, and a few equations. Readers will need either a basic knowledge of science or a willingness to learn while reading.

Part I, about planets, discusses the origin of chemical elements, planet formation, the search for extrasolar planets, and planets suitable for life. Part II, about life, begins at the most basic level of organic chemistry, then moves on to a condensed discussion of biological evolution on Earth. A much briefer chapter provides a quick overview of the search for extraterrestrial life. Part III, on intelligence, takes an unusual approach by beginning with the future of Humankind, emphasizing human expansion into the solar system and possible threats to our survival. Ulmschneider argues that, by thinking about our own future development, we can gain insights into the nature of extraterrestrial intelligence. He concludes his book with a discussion of extraterrestrial intelligent life, briefly noting some of the proposed explanations for the Fermi Paradox.

This book is not for casual readers. Because it covers so much territory, the discussions are highly condensed. Nonetheless, Ulmschneider has done an impressvie job. The book includes some small but well-reproduced colored pictures.

a complete picture of astrobiology.......2003-06-04

This book was so dense with information and so elegantly organized that I found it easier than most recreational reading I do these days. The author explains how one might answer what I consider to be the ultimate question: Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? The author refrains from pontificating his own opinion, but rather provides the background information necessary for the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. The basics of planetary science, astrophysics, and biology are presented in the first section, followed by a description of the conditions in which life has evolved, and where elsewhere in the universe we might find such conditons. Part three (the section that I found to be the most fascinating) described the nature of intelligent life and the fate of humanity. As a student studying astrobiology, I found that this book did an amazing job of unifying many of the classes I have taken, and painted a very good picture of Astrobiology as a sigle subject. I would recommend the book to anyone intersted in astrobiology, space exploration, or the future of mankind. The material presented was sufficiently detailed for a student to gain insight, yet presented in such a simple manner that even the casual reader would walk away with and understanding of the contents.

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