Until the Sun Dies

Creation of the cosmos and the evolution of life are the twin themes that Robert Jastrow, Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in N.Y., develops in this short, powerful work, a sequel to his Red Giants and White Dwarfs. Astronomers, ever the evolutionists of stars, have increasingly turned their attention to the evolution of living forms. Part of this is due to the Viking lander experiments in search of life on Mars. Part is due to the mounting evidence that the universe had but one beginning - some 20 billion years ago - and may have but one end; it is neither infinite nor oscillating. Jastrow presents the evidence for this, and then, chapter by chapter, describes the origin of Earth and the development of life. His interpretation of the ambiguous lander findings favors the biologists' interpretation: evidence of Martian microorganisms. He ends on a note of optimism. With six billion years of Earth life left (until the sun dies), human intelligence may evolve to find the answers to these and other questions. Better yet, human beings may be able to move elsewhere in the cosmos to see for themselves (or find a safe haven). A glossing of details, glib acceptance of arguable points about human evolution, and a general tendency to anthropomorphize - such liberties may outrage the purist specialist but are understandable in a book of this sweep. 80 pages of photographs and drawings will accompany the text. If they are as pungent as the words, they will be vivid amplification. (Kirkus Reviews)