Investigating Life in the Universe
eBook - ePub

Investigating Life in the Universe

Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

  1. 228 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Investigating Life in the Universe

Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

About this book

This textbook gives a lively introduction to the search for extraterrestrial life. It is a guidebook to understanding the possibility of life elsewhere, pointing out landmarks and providing background information to facilitate further exploration of those areas of most interest to the reader.

We are a planet of winners – winners of a cosmic lottery that has been in play since the universe began approximately 13.7 billion years ago. Our winnings include sentience and an underlying unease that has driven us to contemplate our place in the universe and the possibility of finding kindred spirits in the cosmos spreading out before us. To understand our origins and the possibility of life beyond Earth, we must look back and retrace the steps that have brought us to this point in space and time. In doing so, we will find the investigation of life to be a unifying theme in nature, requiring us to touch on all branches of the tree of knowledge. Using the Drake Equation as a theme, we begin with an overview of the topic and then go into the story of how we have acquired, or plan to acquire, the knowledge to solve it. As we make our journey, we will encounter some very interesting people – some you will likely know, while others may be new to you. Keep an open mind and allow this text to be your guide.

Written in an engaging style, this textbook provides a foundational understanding of the rapidly advancing fields associated with the search for life in the universe. Each chapter includes illustrative figures and review questions for self-study. It will appeal to professionals, researchers, instructors, and undergraduate students, as well as anyone with an interest in astrophysics or astrobiology.

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Yes, you can access Investigating Life in the Universe by Christopher K. Walker in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Naturwissenschaften & Entwicklung. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-Title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Author
  9. CHAPTER 1 ◾ Drake Equation: An Overview
  10. CHAPTER 2 ◾ Setting the Stage for Cosmic Discovery
  11. CHAPTER 3 ◾ The Birth of Observational Astrophysics
  12. CHAPTER 4 ◾ Stellar Evolution
  13. CHAPTER 5 ◾ Planet Evolution
  14. CHAPTER 6 ◾ The Origin of Life
  15. CHAPTER 7 ◾ Evolution of Life and Intelligence
  16. CHAPTER 8 ◾ Habitable Worlds
  17. APPENDIX 1: COMMONLY USED PHYSICAL AND ASTRONOMICAL QUANTITIES
  18. APPENDIX 2: EXOPLANETS WITHIN 15 LIGHT YEARS
  19. APPENDIX 3: TIMELINE OF CULTURAL/TECHNICAL EVOLUTION
  20. APPENDIX 4: PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
  21. APPENDIX 5: REQUIRED LIFETIME OF COMMUNICABLE CIVILIZATIONS
  22. INDEX