Rare Earth

Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

Peter Ward, Donald Brownlee

335 pages, parution le 13/02/2004

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Résumé

The sweeping diversity of complex life on Earth, Ward and Brownlee argue, evolved out of an extraordinary set of physical conditions and chance events that would be extremely hard to duplicate though not impossible. Many planets throughout the vastness of the Universe may be teeming with microbial life, but advancement beyond this stage is very rare. Everyone with an interest in the possible extent of life in the Universe and the nature of life's evolution on our own planet will be fascinated by Rare Earth. "...likely to cause a revolution in thinking..." The New York Times "...[the book] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid..." Newsday (New York) "...a sobering and valuable perspective..." Science "...a startling new hypothesis..." Library Journal "...Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee offer a powerful argument..." The Economist "...provocative, significant, and sweeping..." Northwest Science & Technology "...a stellar example of clear writing..." American Scientist

Written for:
Lay readers, earth scientists, astronomers

L'auteur - Peter Ward

Peter Ward et Donald Brownlee, coauteurs de Rare Earth, bestseller unanimement salué sur le même thème, sont à l'avant-garde de l'astrobiologie. Peter Ward est professeur de géologie et zoologie à l'université de Washington, et l'auteur de neuf autres ouvrages dont The End of Evolution, finaliste du Prix du Los Angeles Times.

L'auteur - Donald Brownlee

Peter Ward et Donald Brownlee, coauteurs de Rare Earth, bestseller unanimement salué sur le même thème, sont à l'avant-garde de l'astrobiologie. Donald Brownlle est professeur d'astronomie à l'université de Washington et responsable de la mission Stardust de la NASA.

Sommaire

Preface & Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Astrobiology Revolution and the Rare Earth Hypothesis/Dead Zones of the Universe/Rare Earth Factors
Why Life Might Be Widespread in the Universe
Habitable Zones of the Universe
Building a Habitable Earth
Life's First Appearance on Earth
How to Build Animals
Snowball Earth
The Enigma of the Cambrian Explosion
Mass Extinctions and the Rare Earth Hypothesis
The Surprising Importance of Plate Tectonics
The Moon, Jupiter, and Life on Earth
Testing the Rare Earth Hypothesis
Assessing the Odds
Messengers from the Stars
References
Index

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Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Copernicus Books
Auteur(s)	Peter Ward, Donald Brownlee
Parution	13/02/2004
Nb. de pages	335
Format	15,5 x 23,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	565g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780387952895
ISBN13	978-0-387-95289-5