Life in the Universe

Cover
Brief Contents
Detailed Contents
Preface
About the Authors
How to Succeed in Your Astrobiology Course
Part I. Introducing Life in the Universe
	1. A Universe of Life?
		1.1 The Possibility of Life Beyond Earth
		1.2 The Scientific Context of the Search
		1.3 Places to Search
		1.4 The Science of Astrobiology
		Exercises and Problems
		MOVIE MADNESS. Cinema Aliens
	2. The Science of Life in the Universe
		2.1 The Ancient Debate About Life Beyond Earth
		2.2 The Copernican Revolution
		2.3 The Nature of Modern Science
		2.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. The Fact and Theory of Gravity
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 2.1. Kepler’s Third Law
		SPECIAL TOPIC 2.1: Geocentrism and the Church
		MOVIE MADNESS. Gravity
	3. The Universal Context of Life
		3.1 The Universe and Life
		3.2 The Structure, Scale, and History of the Universe
		3.3 A Universe of Matter and Energy
		3.4 Our Solar System
		3.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. Ongoing Development of the Nebular Theory
		Exercises and Problems
		KEY ASTRONOMICAL DEFINITIONS
		DO THE MATH 3.1. How Far Is a Light-Year?
		SPECIAL TOPIC 3.1. How Do We Know That the Universe Is Expanding?
		MOVIE MADNESS. Interstellar
Part II. Life on Earth
	4. The Habitability of Earth
		4.1 Geology and Life
		4.2 Reconstructing the History of Earth and Life
		4.3 The Hadean Earth and the Dawn of Life
		4.4 Geology and Habitability
		4.5 Climate Regulation and Change
		4.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION
 Formation of the Moon
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 4.1. Radiometric Dating
		KEY GEOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS
		MOVIE MADNESS. Ice Age: Dawn of the  Dinosaurs
	5. The Nature of Life on Earth
		5.1 Defining Life
		5.2 Cells: The Basic Units of Life
		5.3 Metabolism: The Chemistry of Life
		5.4 DNA and Heredity
		5.5 Life at the Extreme
		5.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION
 Evolution as Science
		Exercises and Problems
		KEY BIOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS
		SPECIAL TOPIC 5.1. Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution
		DO THE MATH 5.1. The Dominant Form of Life on Earth
		MOVIE MADNESS. War of the Worlds
	6. The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
		6.1 Searching for Life’s Origins
		6.2 The Origin of Life
		6.3 The Evolution of Life
		6.4 Impacts and Extinctions
		6.5 Human Evolution
		6.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. Artificial Life
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 6.1. Bacteria in a Bottle I:  Lessons for Early Life
		MOVIE MADNESS. Armageddon
		DO THE MATH 6.2. Bacteria in a Bottle II:  Lessons for the Human Race
Part III. Life in the Solar System
	7. Searching for Life in Our Solar System
		7.1 Environmental Requirements for Life
		7.2 A Biological Tour of the Inner Solar System
		7.3 A Biological Tour of the Outer Solar System
		7.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. Spacecraft Exploration of the Solar System
		Exercises and Problems
		MOVIE MADNESS. 2001: A Space Odyssey
		DO THE MATH 7.1. Newton’s Version of  Kepler’s Third Law
	8. Mars
		8.1 Fantasies of Martian Civilization
		8.2 A Modern Portrait of Mars
		8.3 The Climate History of Mars
		8.4 Searching for Life on Mars
		8.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. Martian Meteorites
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 8.1. The Surface Area–to–Volume Ratio
		MOVIE MADNESS. The Martian
	9. Life on Jovian Moons
		9.1 The Moons of the Outer Solar System
		9.2 Life on Jupiter’s Galilean Moons
		9.3 Life Elsewhere in the Solar System
		9.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION
 Chemical Energy for Life
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 9.1. The Strength of the Tidal Force
		MOVIE MADNESS 2010: The Year We Make Contact
	10. The Nature and Evolution of Habitability
		10.1 The Concept of a Habitable Zone
		10.2 Venus: An Example in Potential Habitability
		10.3 Surface Habitability Factors and the Habitable Zone
		10.4 The Future of Life on Earth
		10.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Global Warming: Science, Consequences, and Solutions
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 10.1. Chances of Being in the Zone
		SPECIAL TOPIC 10.1. How Long Is 5 Billion Years?
		MOVIE MADNESS. Wall-E
Part IV. Life Among the Stars
	11. Exoplanets: Their Nature and Potential Habitability
		11.1 Distant Suns
		11.2 Discovering Exoplanets
		11.3 The Number and Nature of Exoplanets
		11.4 The Habitability of Exoplanets
		11.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION
 Classifying Stars
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 11.1. Finding Orbital Distances for Exoplanets
		DO THE MATH 11.2. Finding Masses of  Exoplanets
		DO THE MATH 11.3. Finding Sizes of Exoplanets
		SPECIAL TOPIC 11.1. The Names of Exoplanets
		MOVIE MADNESS. Star Wars
	12. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
		12.1 The Drake Equation
		12.2 The Question of Intelligence
		12.3 Searching for Intelligence
		12.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION
 UFOs and Aliens on Earth
		Exercises and Problems
		SPECIAL TOPIC 12.1. Frank Drake and His Equation
		DO THE MATH 12.1. The Distance Between  Signaling Societies
		MOVIE MADNESS. Contact
	13. Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox
		13.1 The Challenge of Interstellar Travel
		13.2 Spacecraft for Interstellar Travel
		13.3 The Fermi Paradox
		13.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION. Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity
		Exercises and Problems
		DO THE MATH 13.1. The Rocket Equation
		DO THE MATH 13.2. Time Dilation
		MOVIE MADNESS. Star Trek
	Epilogue: Contact—Implications for the Search and Discovery
		Exercises and Problems
		MOVIE MADNESS. E.T
Answers to Quick Quiz Questions
Appendixes
	A. Useful Numbers
	B. Useful Formulas
	C. A Few Mathematical Skills
	D. The Periodic Table of the Elements
	E. The Solar System
	F. List of Learning Objectives
Glossary
Credits
Index