Science
Astronomy
Science
Departments
Advertisment
|
Rare
Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe
by Peter D. Ward, Donald Brownlee
Hardcover from Springer
ISBN: 0387987010
The sweeping diversity of complex life on Earth, Ward and Brownlee argue,
evolved out of an extraordinary set of physical conditions and chance events
that would be extremely hard to duplicate--though not impossible. Many
planets throughout the vastness of the Universe may be teeming with microbial
life, but advancement beyond this stage is very rare. Everyone with an
interest in the possible extent of life in the Universe and the nature
of life's evolution on our own planet will be fascinated by Rare Earth.
"...likely to cause a revolution in thinking..." The New York Times "...[the
book] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid..." Newsday
(New York) "...a sobering and valuable perspective..." Science "...a startling
new hypothesis..." Library Journal "...Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee offer
a powerful argument..." The Economist "...provocative, significant, and
sweeping..." Northwest Science & Technology "...a stellar example of
clear writing..." American Scientist
"Do you feel lucky? Well do ya?" asked Dirty Harry. Paleontologist Peter
Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee think all of us should feel lucky.
Their rare Earth hypothesis predicts that while simple, microbial life
will be very widespread in the universe, complex animal or plant life will
be extremely rare. Ward and Brownlee admit that "It is very difficult to
do statistics with an N of 1. But in our defense, we have staked out a
position rarely articulated but increasingly accepted by many astrobiologists."
Their new science
is the field of biology ratcheted up to encompass not just
life on Earth but also life beyond Earth. It forces us to reconsider the
life of our planet as but a single example of how life might work, rather
than as the only example.
The revolution in astrobiology during the 1990s was twofold. First, scientists
grew to appreciate how incredibly robust microbial life can be, found in
the superheated water of deep-sea vents, pools of acid, or even within
the crust of the Earth itself. The chance of finding such simple life on
other bodies in our solar system has never seemed more realistic. But second,
scientists have begun to appreciate how many unusual factors have cooperated
to make Earth a congenial home for animal life: Jupiter's stable orbit,
the presence of the Moon, plate tectonics, just the right amount of water,
the right position in the right sort of galaxy. Ward and Brownlee make
a convincing if depressing case for their hypothesis, undermining the principle
of mediocrity (or, "Earth isn't all that special") that has ruled astronomy
since Copernicus. --Mary Ellen Curtin |
| |
THE
PLANETS
by Dava Sobel
Paperback from Harper Perennial
ISBN: 1841156213
|
| |
Planetary
Sciences
by Imke de Pater, Jack J. Lissauer
Hardcover from Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521482194
Planetary Sciences presents a comprehensive coverage of this fascinating
and expanding field at a level appropriate for graduate students and researchers
in the physical sciences. The book explains the wide variety of physical,
chemical and geological processes that govern the motions and properties
of planets. Observations of the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and planetary
rings in our Solar System, as well as extrasolar planets, are described,
and the process of planetary formation is discussed. |
| |
Introduction
to Planetary Science: The Geological Perspective
by Gunter Faure, Teresa M. Mensing
Hardcover from Springer
ISBN: 1402052332
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This textbook details basic principles of planetary science that help
to unify the study of the solar system. It is organized in a hierarchical
manner so that every chapter builds upon preceding ones.
Starting with historical perspectives on space exploration and the development
of the scientific method, the book leads the reader through the solar system.
Coverage explains that the origin and subsequent evolution of planets and
their satellites can be explained by applications of certain basic principles
of physics, chemistry, and celestial mechanics and that surface features
of the solid bodies can be interpreted by principles of geology. |
| |
The
Case for Mars
by Robert Zubrin
Hardcover from Free Press
ISBN: 0684827573
A leading theorist on Mars exploration discusses the Mars Direct Plan,
which he developed for NASA, explaining the possibilities of Martian travel
and the cultural and physical rationale for colonizing and terraforming
the planet. 25,000 first printing.
"For our generation and many that will follow, Mars is the New World,"
writes Zubrin. This book went to press serendipitously, just as NASA was
making its startling if heavily-qualified announcement that simple life
may have once existed on the fourth rock from the sun. Zubrin doesn't spend
an enormous amount of time arguing why Mars exploration is desirable --
we all want astronauts to go there, don't we? -- but rather devotes the
bulk of this book explaining how it can happen on a sensible, bare-bones
budget of $20-30 billion and a "travel light and live off the land" philosophy. |
| |
Chiron:
Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner & Outer Planets (Llewellyn's Modern
Astrology Library)
by Barbara Hand Clow
Paperback from Llewellyn Publications
ISBN: 087542094X
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Discover the inner secrets of Chiron, the most recently discovered planet,
and see how it is interpreted in astrological charts with Chiron
by renowned astrologer Barbara Hand Clow.
Chiron is alchemist and healer, initiator and visionary, teacher of
integrity and of bravery.This groundbreaking guide, in print
since 1987, explores Chiron's mythology and history and analyzes its meaning
in each sign and house in the natal chart. Chiron explores this
planet's mythological background and history as well as its effect on astrology.
This comprehensive astrology book includes:
--The meaning of Chiron when it appears in each house
--The meaning of Chiron in aspect to each planet
--The meaning of Chiron through each sign
--The mythological legacy of Chiron
--A Chiron ephemeris
--Chiron in transit
--Chiron as a bridge between the inner and outer planets
Based on over 700 charts from the author's personal files, Chiron
is the first book to explore in depth the astrological meanings of
this planet. Learn how you can incorporate Chironic wisdom in your astrological
readings and your life with this groundbreaking work. |
| |
The
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites
by O. Richard Norton
(Hardcover -- April 2002)
Asteroids:
A History
by Curtis Peebles
(Paperback -- September 1, 2001)
Asteroid
Rendezvous : NEAR Shoemaker's Adventures at Eros
by Jim Bell (Editor), Jacqueline Mitton (Editor)
(Hardcover -- October 2002)
Chiron
and the Healing Journey: An Astrological and Psychological Perspective
(Contemporary Astrology)
by Melanie Reinhart
(Paperback -- June 1999)
Comet
by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan (Contributor)
(Paperback -- February 1997)
Dark
Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets: Paradoxes Resolved, Origins Illuminated
by Tom Van Flandern
(Paperback -- January 1999)
Comet
and Asteroid Impact Hazards on a Populated Earth: Computer Modeling
by John S. Lewis
(Paperback -- September 1999)
Night
Comes to the Cretaceous: Comets, Craters, Controversy, and the Last Days
of the Dinosaurs (Harvest Book)
by James Lawrence Powell
(Paperback -- September 1999)
Mining
the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets
by John S. Lewis
(Paperback -- September 1997)
Meteorite
Hunter: The Search for Siberian Meteorite Craters
by Roy A. Gallant
(Hardcover -- January 23, 2002)
Meteorites:
Messengers from Space
by Fritz Heide
(Paperback -- February 1995)
Impact!:
The Threat of Comets and Asteroids
by Gerrit L. Verschuur
(Paperback -- November 1997)
» Browse
Comets, Meteors & Asteroids
| Comets, Meteorites & Asteroids on DVD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
