| Title: | Rare earth : why complex life is uncommon in the universe / |
| Authors: | Peter D. Ward, Author ; Donald Brownlee, Author |
| Material Type: | eBook |
| Publisher: | [S.l.] : Copernicus, 2003 |
| ISBN / ISSN / EAN : | 978-0-387-21848-9 |
| Size: | 1 online resource (1 v.) / ill |
| Bibliography note: | Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-317) and index |
| Languages: | English |
| Class number: | QB54 |
| Subjects: | Exobiology ; Life on other planets |
| Description: | "In this engaging and superbly written book, the authors present a carefully reasoned and scientifically astute examination of the age-hold question -"are we alone in the Universe?" Their astonishing conclusion that even simple animal life is most likely extremely rare in the Universe has many profound implications. To the average person, staring up at a dark night sky, full of distant galaxies, it is simply inconceivable that we are alone. Yet, in spite of our wishful thinking, there just may not be other Mozarts or Monets." |
| Contents note: | Preface & Acknowledgments -- Introduction: The Astrobiology Revolution and the Rare Earth Hypothesis; Dead Zones of the Universe; Rare Earth Factors -- Why Life Might Be Widespread in the Universe -- Habitable Zones of the Universe -- Building a Habitable Earth -- Life's First Appearance on Earth -- How to Build Animals -- Snowball Earth -- The Enigma of the Cambrian Explosion -- Mass Extinctions and the Rare Earth Hypothesis -- The Surprising Importance of Plate Tectonics -- The Moon, Jupiter, and Life on Earth -- Testing the Rare Earth Hypothesis -- Assessing the Odds -- Messengers from the Stars -- References -- Index |
| Permalink: | https://isulibrary.isunet.edu/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=9042 |
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