Title
Life in space [electronic resource] : astrobiology for everyone / Lucas John Mix.
ISBN
9780674033214 (alk. paper)
0674033213 (alk. paper)
Publication Details
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2009.
Language
English
Description
viii, 331 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Call Number
QH326 .M59 2009eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
576.8/39
Summary
This book shows how the emerging field of astrobiology investigates the nature of life in space. How did life begin? How common is it? Where do we fit in? These are the important questions that astrobiology seeks to answer. A truly interdisciplinary endeavor, astrobiology looks at the evidence of astronomy, biology, physics, chemistry, and a host of other fields. A grand narrative emerges, beginning from the smallest, most common particles yet producing amazing complexity and order. Author Mix explores how the presence of planets around other stars affects our knowledge of our own; how water, carbon, and electrons interact to form life as we know it; and how the processes of evolution and entropy act upon every living thing. He also reveals that our understanding and our context are deeply intertwined, showing how much astrobiology can tell us about who we are--as a planet, as a species, and as individuals.--From publisher description.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [305]-325) and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Caught up in life
Living science
Defining life
A well-behaved universe
Well-behaved observers?
Life in the cosmos
Life among the stars
The planetary phenomenon
The inner solar system
The outer solar system
Extrasolar planets
Life and time
Making cells from scratch
Building biospheres
Molecules
Metabolism
The tree of life
Exceptions
Intelligence
The story of life.
