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Life in space [electronic resource] : astrobiology for everyone / Lucas John Mix

Author
Mix, Lucas John
Published
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2009.
Physical Description
viii, 331 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
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Contents
Caught up in life -- Living science -- Defining life -- A well-behaved universe -- Well-behaved observers? -- Life in the cosmos -- Life among the stars -- The planetary phenomenon -- The inner solar system -- The outer solar system -- Extrasolar planets -- Life and time -- Making cells from scratch -- Building biospheres -- Molecules -- Metabolism -- The tree of life -- Exceptions -- Intelligence -- The story of life.
Summary
This book shows how the emerging field of astrobiology investigates the nature of life in space. How did life begin? How common is it? Where do we fit in? These are the important questions that astrobiology seeks to answer. A truly interdisciplinary endeavor, astrobiology looks at the evidence of astronomy, biology, physics, chemistry, and a host of other fields. A grand narrative emerges, beginning from the smallest, most common particles yet producing amazing complexity and order. Author Mix explores how the presence of planets around other stars affects our knowledge of our own; how water, carbon, and electrons interact to form life as we know it; and how the processes of evolution and entropy act upon every living thing. He also reveals that our understanding and our context are deeply intertwined, showing how much astrobiology can tell us about who we are--as a planet, as a species, and as individuals.--From publisher description.
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ISBN
9780674033214 (alk. paper)
0674033213 (alk. paper)
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [305]-325) and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 33541453