


Paperback
Published: 11th February 2004
ISBN: 9781852331016
Number Of Pages: 317
From the reviews:
"Bulging with concise explanations and 142 clarifying diagrams and photos, the book probably represents some of the best pedagogy in the solar system on these topics. ... just the right level for most undergraduates. ... Open-minded scientists looking for an authoritative tour of astrobiology will enjoy the book ... . The author's summary of exoplanet detection techniques is excellent ... . Jones keeps us interested with simple explanations ... . His approach is quite an achievement ... . " (Charley Lineweaver, Physics Today, February, 2005).
"This is a textbook suitable for university use. ... this is one of the best. ... includes excellent recent images of Mars, Europa and elsewhere, and is richly illustrated with explanatory diagrams. ... There is a useful index, a glossary and a list of 'resources' (websites and books)." (Malcolm Walter, Australian Physics, Vol. 42 (3) July/August 2005)
"What is required for life, and where might it have evolved? ... These are the questions that are addressed in this wide ranging, well written and thought provoking book. ... But for anyone wishing to follow ... Jones' book is an excellent start." (Dr. C.M.Linton, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 46 (3), 2005)
"This book centres on the search for life in the Solar System and beyond. It includes an overview of many of the disciplines involved in this field of research, which include astronomy, biology and geology. ... It was good to see that the astronomy has been kept fairly descriptive and not too mathematical. This keeps the flow of the book. ... As an overview of the key subjects involved in astrobiology for a university course, I think this book is successful." (James Silvester, Astronomy Now, March, 2005)
Although, at present there is no firm evidence for extraterrestrial life, enormous progress has been made in recent years, both in our understanding of life on Earth and of the potential for life existing elsewhere in the universe. Life in the Solar System and Beyond embaces aspects form all the osre related fields (astronomy, planetary science, chemistry, biology, and Physics). This excellent and thought-provoking introduction:
From the reviews:
"This book ... provides a comprehensive overview of astrobiology. It is a course textbook, suited for a first year undergraduate course ... . The book is supported by a glossary, a bibliography of similar textbooks on similar and related areas, and a list of useful websites. The textbook has a strong emphasis on astronomy ... making this suitable as a course text in this subject with an emphasis on astrobiology. ... highly appropriate for courses in UK first year undergraduate programmes." (Alex Ellery, International Journal of Astrobiology, Vol. 3 (1), 2004)
"Bulging with concise explanations and 142 clarifying diagrams and photos, the book probably represents some of the best pedagogy in the solar system on these topics. ... Jones's book ... just the right level for most undergraduates. ... Open-minded scientists looking for an authoritative tour of astrobiology will enjoy the book ... . The author's summary of exoplanet detection techniques is excellent ... . Jones keeps us interested with simple explanations ... . His approach is quite an achievement ... . " (Charley Lineweaver, Physics Today, February, 2005).
"This book centres on the search for life in the Solar System and beyond. It includes an overview of many of the disciplines involved in this field of research, which include astronomy, biology and geology. ... It was good to see that the astronomy has been kept fairly descriptive and not too mathematical. This keeps the flow of the book. ... As an overview of the key subjects involved in astrobiology for a university course, I think this book is successful." (James Silvester, Astronomy Now, March, 2005)
"This is a textbook suitable for university use. ... this is one of the best. ... includes excellent recent images of Mars, Europa and elsewhere, and is richly illustrated with explanatory diagrams. ... There is a useful index, a glossary and a list of 'resources' (websites and books)." (Malcolm Walter, Australian Physics, Vol. 42 (3) July/August 2005)
"The author of this book ... has definitively influenced the content and the presentation of this book. ... The public to which this book is directed is very diverse ... . The prerequisite knowledge is minimal ... . this book reveals some very fascinating observations. ... Reviewers found it very interesting to read that the earliest undisputed evidence for life ... . The book is nicely illustrated ... . this book can be highly recommended to all those interested in the scientific origins of life." (Fernande Grandjean, Gary J. Long, Physicalia, Vol. 57 (3), 2005)
"What is required for life, and where might it have evolved? ... These are the questions that are addressed in this wide ranging, well written and thought provoking book. ... memory is not overly taxed due to the inclusion of helpful summaries at the end of each chapter which identify the key points. ... It draws on all sorts of scientific knowledge ... . No great demands of the reader are made in terms of prior knowledge ... . But for anyone wishing to follow ... Jones' book is an excellent start." (Dr. C.M.Linton, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 46 (3), 2005)
"Can life exist anywhere other than on Earth? Jones (Open Univ., UK) works with well-defined parameters in the search for possible alien life forms, developing these parameters from a study of Earthly evolution of life and geological forms, and the evolution of the solar system as it is presently understood. He includes what data are available from studies on Earth, through telescopes, and from data available at the time of writing on space flights to the planets. He then searches data on solar system planets and the planetary satellites, trying to find conditions similar enough to those on Earth to support some form of life, before going beyond the solar system to search for nonsolar star systems that could contain such conditions. Jones set himself an imposing task that demands either a very large volume or concise writing; although written very well, his book does require some background in science to be completely understood. It contains much detail, including some mathematical derivations, together with excellent diagrams and photographs, references to pertinent Web sites, and summaries and questions at chapter-ends. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduate through graduate students; two-year technical program students. -- P. R. Douville, emeritus, Central Connecticut State University
"Certainly, Barrie Jones covers a lot of ground in this concise summary of our state of knowledge with regard to extraterrestrial life. ... The book is generally very readable and easy to follow ... . each chapter includes a final summary and questions/answers that would be of value for students. ... as a one-stop reference on exobiology it is hard to beat." (Peter Bond, The Observatory, Vol. 125 (1188), 2005)
Preface | p. xi |
Acknowledgements | p. xiii |
Abbreviations | p. xv |
List of figures | p. xvii |
List of tables | p. xxiii |
List of plates | p. xxv |
The cosmos | p. 1 |
The Solar System | p. 1 |
The orbits of the planets | p. 1 |
The Sun as a body | p. 5 |
The planets as bodies | p. 8 |
The large satellites | p. 11 |
The origin of the Solar System | p. 13 |
The nebular theory | p. 13 |
Pluto, comets, and satellites | p. 16 |
The acquisition of volatile substances by the terrestrial planets | p. 17 |
The origin of the heavy elements | p. 17 |
Beyond the Solar System | p. 18 |
The stars | p. 18 |
The Galaxy (and others) | p. 20 |
Summary | p. 22 |
Questions | p. 23 |
Life on Earth | p. 25 |
The Earth | p. 25 |
The Earth's interior | p. 25 |
The Earth's crust, lithosphere, and plate tectonics | p. 26 |
Atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere | p. 27 |
The chemicals of life | p. 29 |
Proteins and nucleic acids | p. 29 |
Polysaccharides, lipids, and small molecules | p. 32 |
The cell | p. 32 |
The fundamental processes of life | p. 34 |
Chemical energy | p. 34 |
Energy for the cell | p. 35 |
Protein synthesis | p. 38 |
Reproduction and evolution | p. 40 |
Diversity of habitats | p. 43 |
Non-extreme habitats | p. 43 |
Extreme habitats | p. 44 |
The tree of life | p. 49 |
Summary | p. 50 |
Questions | p. 51 |
The evolution and origin of life on Earth | p. 53 |
The process of evolution | p. 53 |
Life on Earth since the last common ancestor | p. 55 |
The major events and their timing | p. 55 |
The causes of mass extinctions | p. 61 |
The effect of the biosphere on the Earth's atmosphere | p. 62 |
Radiometric dating | p. 65 |
The origin of life on Earth | p. 66 |
RNA world | p. 67 |
The origin of cells | p. 68 |
The role of minerals | p. 68 |
Chirality in biomolecules | p. 71 |
Where did life originate? | p. 73 |
When did life originate? | p. 74 |
Conclusions | p. 74 |
Summary | p. 75 |
Questions | p. 76 |
Where to look for life elsewhere in the Solar System | p. 77 |
What sort of life are we searching for? | p. 77 |
Potential habitats for carbon-liquid water life | p. 78 |
The habitable zone (HZ) | p. 79 |
The HZ in the Solar System | p. 82 |
Further considerations | p. 85 |
Potential habitats beyond the HZ | p. 86 |
Planetary interiors | p. 86 |
Tidal heating | p. 87 |
Tidally heated bodies | p. 89 |
Titan | p. 95 |
Summary | p. 96 |
Questions | p. 97 |
Life on Mars? | p. 99 |
The planet Mars today | p. 99 |
Mars in space | p. 99 |
The martian interior | p. 101 |
The martian atmosphere | p. 102 |
The martian surface from space | p. 104 |
Features that indicate the presence of liquid water | p. 108 |
The martian surface from landers | p. 112 |
Mars in the past | p. 114 |
The three epochs of martian history | p. 114 |
Atmospheric change on Mars | p. 114 |
The search for life on Mars | p. 116 |
Before the space age | p. 116 |
The Viking Landers | p. 118 |
Martian meteorites and fossils | p. 120 |
Prospects for the future | p. 122 |
Summary | p. 123 |
Questions | p. 124 |
Life on Europa? | p. 127 |
Europa | p. 127 |
Is there an ocean on Europa? | p. 128 |
The potential of Europa as a habitat | p. 133 |
Current knowledge | p. 133 |
The future exploration of Europa | p. 134 |
Summary | p. 136 |
Questions | p. 136 |
The fate of life in the Solar System | p. 137 |
The evolution of the Sun | p. 139 |
The main sequence phase and the transition to the giant phase | p. 139 |
The giant phase and after | p. 140 |
The effect of solar evolution on Solar System habitability | p. 143 |
Planetary orbits | p. 143 |
The habitable zone (HZ) | p. 143 |
Summary | p. 146 |
Questions | p. 147 |
Potential habitats beyond the Solar System | p. 149 |
The variety of stars | p. 150 |
The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram | p. 150 |
Stellar populations | p. 154 |
Suitable stars for life | p. 155 |
Main sequence lifetime and life detectable from afar | p. 156 |
Metallicity and other considerations | p. 156 |
Main sequence M stars (M dwarfs) | p. 157 |
The galactic HZ | p. 161 |
Summary | p. 162 |
Questions | p. 163 |
Searching for planets: direct methods | p. 165 |
The challenge of direct detection | p. 165 |
Coronagraphy | p. 168 |
Signal-to-noise ratio (snr) in a telescope image | p. 169 |
The effect of one type of coronagraph | p. 170 |
Atmospheric effects and their reduction | p. 171 |
Atmospheric 'seeing' and its effects | p. 173 |
Adaptive optics | p. 173 |
Large optical telescopes | p. 175 |
Ground-based telescopes | p. 175 |
Telescopes in space | p. 176 |
Interferometers | p. 177 |
The basic principle of interferometry | p. 177 |
Imaging interferometers | p. 180 |
Summary | p. 183 |
Questions | p. 184 |
Searching for planets: indirect methods | p. 185 |
Detecting a planet through the motion of its star | p. 185 |
The effect of a planet on its star's motion | p. 185 |
Astrometry: principles | p. 186 |
Astrometry: practice | p. 190 |
Doppler spectroscopy: principles | p. 194 |
Doppler spectroscopy: practice | p. 200 |
Transit photometry | p. 203 |
Gravitational microlensing | p. 205 |
Observations of circumstellar discs and rings | p. 208 |
Summary | p. 209 |
Questions | p. 209 |
Exoplanetary systems | p. 211 |
The discovery of exoplanetary systems | p. 211 |
The known (non-pulsar) exoplanetary systems | p. 214 |
The stars that host the known exoplanetary systems | p. 214 |
Exoplanet masses | p. 216 |
Exoplanet composition | p. 217 |
Exoplanet orbits | p. 219 |
Migration of giant exoplanets and its consequences | p. 221 |
Migration mechanisms and consequences for giants | p. 221 |
Giant planet migration and the formation of Earth-mass planets in HZs | p. 225 |
Earth-mass planets in HZs | p. 226 |
The undiscovered exoplanets | p. 228 |
The known exoplanetary systems - a summary | p. 228 |
What planets await discovery and when might we discover them? | p. 229 |
A note on evidence from circumstellar discs | p. 232 |
Stars, planets, and life forms | p. 233 |
Summary | p. 233 |
Questions | p. 234 |
How to find life on exoplanets | p. 237 |
Planets with habitable surfaces | p. 238 |
Detecting biospheres from a distance | p. 239 |
Is there life on Earth? | p. 239 |
The infrared spectrum of the Earth | p. 243 |
The infrared spectrum of Mars | p. 247 |
The infrared spectra of exoplanets | p. 247 |
Exoplanet spectra at visible and near-infrared wavelengths | p. 249 |
Interstellar probes | p. 252 |
Summary | p. 254 |
Questions | p. 254 |
Extraterrestrial intelligence | p. 257 |
The number of technological intelligences in the Galaxy | p. 257 |
Searching for ETI | p. 259 |
Microwave and optical searches | p. 261 |
Microwave searches | p. 261 |
What a microwave signal from ETI might be like | p. 264 |
The outcome of microwave searches and their future | p. 267 |
Searches at optical wavelengths (OSETI) | p. 268 |
Spacecraft and other artefacts from ETI | p. 270 |
Interstellar travel | p. 270 |
Galactic exploration | p. 272 |
Technological modifications by ETI of their cosmic environment | p. 273 |
The Fermi paradox | p. 274 |
Communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence (CETI) | p. 275 |
Summary | p. 278 |
Questions | p. 279 |
Glossary | p. 281 |
Answers to questions | p. 287 |
Resources | p. 303 |
Index | p. 309 |
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9781852331016
ISBN-10: 1852331011
Series: Springer Praxis Books
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 317
Published: 11th February 2004
Publisher: Springer London Ltd
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 23.11 x 15.49
x 2.03
Weight (kg): 0.5