Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe / Edition 1

by Peter D. Ward, Donald Brownlee

Overview

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled by the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and the indications of life on Mars and the Jovian moon Europa will be fascinated by Rare Earth, and its implications for those who look to the heavens for companionship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387952895
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	12/10/2003
Edition description:	2000
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	144,530
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Contents Preface to the Paperback Edition Preface to the First Edition Introduction: The Astrobiology Revolution and the Rare Earth Hypothesis Dead Zones of the Universe Rare Earth Factors 1 Why Life Might Be Widespread in the Universe 2 Habitable Zones of the Universe 3 Building a Habitable Earth 4 Life’s First Appearance on Earth 5 How to Build Animals 6 Snowball Earth 7 The Enigma of the Cambrian Explosion 8 Mass Extinctions and the Rare Earth Hypothesis 9 The Surprising Importance of Plate Tectonics 10 The Moon, Jupiter, and Life on Earth 11 Testing the Rare Earth Hypotheses 12 Assessing the Odds 13 Messengers from the Stars References Index

What People are Saying About This

David Levy

A fabulous book! If we're to believe what we see in the movies, extraterrestrials thrive on every world. But this unique book, written by two of the top scientists in the field, tells a different story.

Geoffrey Marcy

It's brilliant...courageous...It's rare in literature and science that a stance goes so far against the grain.
(Dr. Geoffrey W. Marcy, University of California at Berkeley)

Don Johanson

In this engaging and superbly written book, the authors present a carefully reasoned and scientifically astute examination of the age-old question -- 'Are we alone in the Universe?'

Editorial Reviews

"...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

From the Publisher

If they are right, it could be time to reverse a process that has been going on since Copernicus.

London Times

[a book that] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid . . .

Newsday

. . . a pleasure for the rational reader . . . what good books are all about . . .

Associated Press

Maybe we really are alone in the Universe, after all

The New York Times

. . . a sobering and valuable perspective . . .

Science

. . . a startling new hypothesis . . .

Library Journal

. . . a stellar example of clear writing . . .

American Scientist

It's a thought that grips most everyone who stares into the unfathomable depths of a star-speckled night: Is there anybody out there? The odds, say Peter Ward and Don Brownlee, are probably more remote than you think. Earth, they contend, is simply too special, the result of myriad physical conditions missing from most of the universe, with just enough time and other circumstances to let complicated life arise. "We consider it to be random chance and luck," said Brownlee, a University of Washington astronomer. "Mostly luck...." "We really hope in our heart of hearts that we're completely wrong," said Ward. "We want there to be lots of life out there. We want every star around us to have intelligent life. But as scientists, here's what the evidence in our short lives and our narrow imaginations tells us. We say at the end of the book, perhaps this book is simply a failure of imagination."

Seattle Times