- Preface
-
- 1. Some Intrinsic Properties of Life
- 1.1. Defining life: Does it matter?
- 1.2. The requirements for life
- 1.3. The Anna Karenina principle
- 1. Some Intrinsic Properties of Life
- I. The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
- 2. The Pathways to the Origin of Life on Earth
- 2.1. When did life originate on Earth?
- 2.2. The basic building blocks of life
- 2.3. Synthesis of the basic building blocks of life
- 2.4. The polymerization of monomers
- 2.5. The RNA world
- 2.6. Did metabolism arise first?
- 2.7. What are the plausible sites for abiogenesis?
- 2.8. Mathematical models relating to the origin of life
- 2.9. Conclusion
- 3. The Evolutionary History of Life on Earth
- 3.1. The origin of life
- 3.2. The diversification of bacteria and archaea
- 3.3. Oxygenic photosynthesis
- 3.4. The rise of oyxgen and the Great Oxygenation Event
- 3.5. Eukaryotes
- 3.6. Complex multicellularity
- 3.7. Intelligence in animals
- 3.8. Technological intelligence
- 3.9. Paradigms for major evolutionary events
- 3.10. The critical steps model
- 3.11. Conclusion
- 2. The Pathways to the Origin of Life on Earth
- II. Aspects of Extraterrestrial Biospheres
- 4. Habitability: Stellar Factors
- 4.1. The habitable zone and its extensions
- 4.2. Stellar winds
- 4.3. Stellar electromagnetic radiation
- 4.4. Stellar flares and associated space weather phenomena
- 4.5. Conclusion
- 5. Habitability: Planetary Factors
- 5.1. The myriad roles of temperature
- 5.2. Plate tectonics and habitability
- 5.3. Tidal locking and its consequences
- 5.4. Atmospheric composition
- 5.5. The extent of landmasses and oceans on the surface
- 5.6. The distribution of landmasses and oceans
- 5.7. Life in the atmosphere
- 5.8. Conclusion
- 6. The Quest for Biosignatures
- 6.1. Transiting planets
- 6.2. Non-transiting planets
- 6.3. Alternative observational constraints on habitability
- 6.4. Gaseous biosignatures
- 6.5. Surface biosignatures
- 6.6. Temporal biosignatures
- 6.7. False positives versus real biosignatures
- 6.8. Assessing the plausibility of life detection
- 6.9. Conclusion
- 7. Life in Subsurface Oceans
- 7.1. Worlds with subsurface oceans within our solar system
- 7.2. Temperature profiles of the ice envelopes
- 7.3. The habitats for subsurface ocean worlds
- 7.4. The routes to abiogenesis on subsurface ocean worlds
- 7.5. Ecosystems in planets with subsurface oceans
- 7.6. Bioessential elements and subsurface ocean worlds
- 7.7. Evolutionary trajectories on subsurface ocean worlds
- 7.8. Number of subsurface ocean worlds and the implications for detection
- 7.9. Conclusion
- 4. Habitability: Stellar Factors
- III. Aspects of Extraterrestrial Technospheres
- 8. The Drake Equation and Fermi’s Paradox
- 8.1. The Drake equation
- 8.2. The great silence: Where is everybody?
- 8.3. Conclusion
- 9. The Quest for Technosignatures
- 9.1. Radio technosignatures
- 9.2. Optical and infrared technosignatures
- 9.3. Modality of interstellar signaling
- 9.4. On the classification of technological agents
- 9.5. Artifact technosignatures
- 9.6. The relative prospects for detecting ETIs
- 9.7. Conclusion
- 10. The Propagation of Life in the Universe
- 10.1. History and principles of panspermia
- 10.2. Interplanetary and interstellar panspermia
- 10.3. Seeking potential signatures of panspermia
- 10.4. Interstellar travel via rockets
- 10.5. Interstellar travel without onboard fuel
- 10.6. Conclusion
- 8. The Drake Equation and Fermi’s Paradox
- Epilogue: Sic Itur Ad Astra
- References
- Acknowlegments
- Index
Life in the Cosmos
From Biosignatures to Technosignatures
Product Details
HARDCOVER
$77.00 • £66.95 • €70.95
ISBN 9780674987579
Publication Date: 06/29/2021
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