Impossible Extinction

Natural Catastrophes and the Supremacy of the Microbial World

Charles S. Cockell

190 pages, parution le 17/03/2003

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Résumé

Every 225 million years the Earth, and all the life on it, completes one revolution around our Milky Way Galaxy. During this remarkable journey, life is influenced by calamitous changes. Comets and asteroids strike the surface of the Earth, stars explode near by, enormous volcanoes erupt, and more recently, humans litter the planet with waste. Many animals and plants become extinct during the voyage, but humble microbes, simple creatures made of a single cell, survive this journey. This book takes a tour of the microbial world, from the coldest and deepest places on Earth to the hottest and highest, and witnesses some of the most catastrophic events that life can face. Impossible Extinction tells this remarkable story for the general reader explaining how microbes have survived on Earth for over three billion years.

'Here chronicled, in an most entertaining style, is a remarkable journey into the remote reaches of life's long history - to an ancient world populated by microbes and their kin that have miraculously survived even to the present day. Well-researched. Riveting. A delightful read. And brought to us by Charles Cockell, one of the world's emerging experts on this history of earthly life and our best possible guide for this fascinating story.'
Professor J. William Schopf, UCLA Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life
'This book is an engaging and perilous adventure story of the 225 million year journey of Earth around our home Galaxy, the Milky Way. It contains a vivid description of the many hazards Earth could encounter. The 'heroes' of this adventure are the microorganisms whose remarkable adaptability has arisen from previous hazards that could, in turn, protect them from even greater hazards in the future. It will fascinate the general reader and astrobiologists alike.'
Dr Baruch S. Blumberg, Former Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute
'A fascinating and beautifully-researched account of the dangers that threaten life on our planet during a galactic year - Earth's 225 million-year trek around the centre of the Milky Way. By the end of the book, you'll be wishing that you were a microbe in order to survive.'
Dr Heather Couper Past-President, British Astronomical Association

Contents

The galactic roulette
Primordial leftovers
The microbial menagerie
The record of catastrophe
The sky falls in
Supernova fry up
Fire from below
Intelligent stupidity
The world is not enough?

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Cambridge University Press
Auteur(s)	Charles S. Cockell
Parution	17/03/2003
Nb. de pages	190
Format	15,6 x 23,5
Couverture	Relié
Poids	470g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780521817363
ISBN13	978-0-521-81736-3