Planets and Life

Astrobiology involves the study of the origin and history of life on Earth, planets and moons where life may have arisen, and the search for extraterrestrial life. It combines the sciences of biology, chemistry, palaeontology, geology, planetary physics and astronomy. This textbook brings together world experts in each of these disciplines to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the field currently available. Topics cover the origin and evolution of life on Earth, the geological, physical and chemical conditions in which life might arise and the detection of extraterrestrial life on other planets and moons. The book also covers the history of our ideas on extraterrestrial life and the origin of life, as well as the ethical, philosophical and educational issues raised by astrobiology. Written to be accessible to students from diverse backgrounds, this text will be welcomed by advanced undergraduates and graduates who are taking astrobiology courses.

Compiled by world experts in their disciplines to create a truly comprehensive book
Accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds
A welcome addition to this rapidly-growing field

Reviews & endorsements

"It's not easy to unify a multidisciplinary field whose main focus (extraterrestrial life) may not exist, but this new astrobiology book pulls it off. Planets and Life is a well-organized compilation of 28 chapters by 50 contributing authors. Coming from such a disparate group of authors, the quality of the writing is surprisingly uniform and high. ... With so many authors and so many topics, the book could have suffered the fate of being a mixed miscellaneous collage, like so many proceeding volumes, but it doesn't. No two authors, or even a small committee of experts, could have presented so many topics at such a high level. ... the combination of details and big picture thinking embodied in this new text will go far to describe our current understanding of how we came to be and how we fit into the universe." - Charles H. Lineweaver, GeoScience World

"Perhaps the book's most impressive achievement is its ability to discuss high-level material over a wide range of disciplines. Drawing on advanced concepts in biology, chemistry, astronomy and even philosophy, Planets and Life effectively provides background for readers whose expertise may lie in a different field. ... Sullivan and Baross do an impressive job of engaging the issues of astrobiology at a high level while keeping the field's guiding questions in full view. ... this book has successfully blazed a trail for the study of astrobiology in university classrooms." - Jeffrey Marlow, Astrobiology Society of Britain

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Product details

Published: September 2007
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780521531023
Length: 628 pages
Dimensions: 246 × 188 × 36 mm
Weight: 1.36kg
Contains: 250 b/w illus. 60 tables
Availability: Available

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Contents

Foreword
Preface
Contributors
Prologue
Part I. History:
1. History of astrobiological ideas W. T. Sullivan and D. Carney
2. From exobiology to astrobiology S. J. Dick
Part II. The Physical Stage:
3. Formation of Earth-like habitable planets D. E. Brownlee and M. Kress
4. Planetary atmospheres and life D. Catling and J. F. Kasting
Part III. The Origin of Life on Earth:
5. Does 'life' have a definition? C.E. Cleland and C. F. Chyba
6. Origin of life: crucial issues R. Shapiro
7. Origin of proteins and nucleic acids A. Ricardo and S. A. Benner
8. The roots of metabolism G.D. Cody and J. H. Scott
9. Origin of cellular life D. W. Deamer
Part IV. Life on Earth:
10. Evolution: a defining feature of life J. A. Baross
11. Evolution of metabolism and early microbial communities J. A. Leigh, D. A. Stahl and J. T. Staley
12. The earliest records of life on Earth R. Buick
13. The origin and diversification of eukaryotes M. L. Sogin, D. J. Patterson and A. McArthur
14. Limits of carbon life on Earth and elsewhere J. A. Baross, J. Huber and M. Schrenk
15. Life in ice J. W. Deming and H. Eicken
16. The evolution and diversification of life S. Awramik and K. J. McNamara
17. Mass extinctions P. D. Ward
Part V. Potentially Habitable Worlds:
18. Mars B. M. Jakosky, F. Westall and A. Brack
19. Europa C. F. Chyba and C. B. Phillips
20. Titan J. I. Lunine and B. Rizk
21. Extrasolar planets P. Butler
Part VI. Searching for Extraterrestrial Life:
22. How to search for life on other worlds C. P. McKay
23. Instruments and strategies for detecting extraterrestrial life P. G. Conrad
24. Societial and ethical concerns M. S. Race
25. Planetary protection J. D. Rummel
26. Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence J. C. Tarter
27. Alien biochemistries P. D. Ward and S. A. Benner
Part VII. Future of the Field:
28. Disciplinary and educational opportunities L. Wells, J. Armstrong and J. Huber
Epilogue C. F. Chyba
Appendixes: A. Units and usages
B. Planetary properties
C. The geological time scale S. Awramik and K. J. McNamara
D. Astrobiological destinations on planet Earth J. Harnmeijer
E. Micro*scope web tool D. J. Patterson and M. L. Sogin
Index.

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About the authors

Contributors

W. T. Sullivan, D. Carney, S. J. Dick, D. E. Brownlee, M. Kress, D. Catling, J. F. Kasting, C. E. Cleland, C. F. Chyba, R. Shapiro, A. Ricardo, S. A. Benner, G. D. Cody, J. H. Scott, D.W. Deamer, J. A. Baross, J. A. Leigh, D. A. Stahl, J. T. Staley, R. Buick, M. L. Sogin, D. J. Patterson, A. McArthur, J. Huber, M. Schrenk, J. W. Deming, H. Eicken, S. Awramik, K. J. McNamara, P. D. Ward, B. M. Jakosky, F. Westall, A. Brack, C. B. Phillips, J. I. Lunine, B. Rizk, P. Butler, C. P. McKay, P. G. Conrad, M. S. Race, J. D. Rummel, J. C. Tarter, S. A. Benner, L. Wells, J. Armstrong, J. Harnmeijer

Editors

Woodruff T. Sullivan, III , University of Washington
Woodruff Sullivan is Professor of Astronomy and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Washington (UW). His interests are in astrobiology, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), the history of astronomy, and gnomonics. He is Chair of the Steering Group of the UW's interdisciplinary graduate Astrobiology Program.
John Baross , University of Washington
John Baross is a professor in the School of Oceanography, UW. His research focuses on thermophilic micro-organisms from volcanic environments, the origin and evolution of life, life on other planets and moons, and microbial ecology. He is a founding member of UW's Astrobiology Program.

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