An edition of Rare earth: why complex life is uncommon in the universe (2000)

Rare earth

why complex life is uncommon in the universe

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  • ★★★★ ★ 4.5 (2 ratings) ·
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Cover of: Rare earth by Peter Douglas Ward, Peter Douglas Ward
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  • ★★★★ ★ 4.5 (2 ratings) ·
  • 3 Want to read
  • 2 Have read
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Last edited by MARC Bot
August 11, 2024 | History
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An edition of Rare earth: why complex life is uncommon in the universe (2000)

Rare earth

why complex life is uncommon in the universe

by

  • ★★★★ ★ 4.5 (2 ratings) ·
  • 3 Want to read
  • 2 Have read

"With a new preface and updated throughout, this first paperback edition of Ward and Brownlee's ground-breaking and controversial Rare Earth marshals data from geology, astronomy, and biology to put forth a radical hypothesis: While primitive organisms such as microbes are very likely abundant across the galaxies, advanced life, depending as it does on a myriad of special circumstances, is altogether another story. In a thought-provoking departure from the widely held view that there must be countless civilizations of intelligent beings out there, Ward and Brownlee suggest that multicellular life-forms, let alone life-forms with whom we'd be able to communicate, must be exceedingly rare."--BOOK JACKET.

Publish Date
Publisher
Copernicus
Language
English
Pages
335

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Previews available in: English

Subjects

Exobiology, Life on other planets, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Science (General), Astronomy, Popular Science, Popular Science in Astronomy, Science, general, Origin of life, Life--origin, Extraterrestrial environment, Qb54 .w336 2000, Qh 325 w262r 2000, 576.8/39

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Book Details

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
576.8/39
Library of Congress
QB54 .W336 2003, QB1-991QH327-328, QB54 .W336 2000, QB54 .W336 2004

The Physical Object

Pagination
p. cm.
Number of pages
335

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL3683599M
Internet Archive
rareearthwhycomp00ward_322
ISBN 10
0387952896
LCCN
2003043437
OCLC/WorldCat
278011151
LibraryThing
20979
Goodreads
88552

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL1876782W

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Work Description

"While it is widely believed that complex life is common, even widespread, throughout the billions of stars and galaxies of our Universe, astrobiologists Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee argue that advanced life may, in fact, be very rare, perhaps even unique.".

"Ward and Brownlee question underlying assumptions and take us on a search for life that reaches from the volcanic hot springs deep on our ocean floors to the frosty face of Europa, Jupiter's icy moon.

In the process, we learn that, while microbial life may well be more prevalent throughout the Universe than previously believed, the conditions necessary for the evolution and survival of higher life - and here the authors consider everything from DNA to plate tectonics to the role of our Moon - are so complex and precarious that they are unlikely to arise in many other places, if at all."--BOOK JACKET.

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 11, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
January 14, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 8, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 7, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from Scriblio MARC record