Stardust

The Cosmic Seeds of Life

By: Sun Kwok

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Paperback | 18 April 2013

At a Glance

Paperback
292 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
15.7 x 23.6 x 2.0

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How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of a chemical reaction involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. At some point in their evolution, stars eject those organics and spread them all over the Milky Way galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the young Earth inherited significant amounts of stardust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials?

In this book, the author describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science made over the last 10 years that have yielded a new perspective on the origin of life.

Other interesting topics discussed in this book

The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space
The origin of oil
Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space
Smoke from the stars
Stardust in our hands
Where oceans come from
The possibility of bacteria in space

Industry Reviews

From the reviews:

Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2014

"Stardust is a very readable, lucid description of the origins of life, from the standpoint of an astronomer. ... Six appendixes, a 10-page glossary, and a 20-page bibliography support the text. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates." (E. S. Perlman, Choice, Vol. 51 (5), January, 2014)

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