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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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
July 20, 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

"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.

Publish Date
Publisher
Copernicus
Language
English
Pages
333

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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
Edition Availability
Cover of: Rare earth
Rare earth: why complex life is uncommon in the universe
2003, Copernicus
in English
Cover of: Rare earth
Rare earth: why complex life is uncommon in the universe
2000, Copernicus
in English

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Book Details

Table of Contents

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 Hypotheses
Assessing the odds
Messengers from the stars.

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Library of Congress
QB54 .W336 2000, QB1-991Q1-390QH327-, QB 54 W336 2000

The Physical Object

Pagination
xxviii, 333 p. :
Number of pages
333

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL15474067M
Internet Archive
rareearthwhycomp0000ward
ISBN 10
0387987010
LCCN
99020532
OCLC/WorldCat
40996050
Library Thing
20979
Goodreads
1132886

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL1876782W

Source records

Western Washington University MARC record
Library of Congress MARC record
Ithaca College Library MARC record
marc_openlibraries_sanfranciscopubliclibrary MARC record
Library of Congress MARC record
Internet Archive item record
Better World Books record
Promise Item
marc_nuls MARC record
ISBNdb
marc_columbia MARC record

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