How can life begin? How common is it elsewhere in the Universe? Written and edited by planetary scientists and astrobiologists, this textbook is an introduction to the origin and nature of life, the habitable environments in our Solar System and the search for exoplanets. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to take into account the latest developments in this field. It now covers arsenic-tolerant extremophiles, burgeoning successes in exoplanet detection, results of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Titan and a re-examination of the habitability of Mars. Ideal for introductory courses on the subject, the textbook is also suitable for self-study. It highlights important concepts and techniques in boxed summaries. There are questions and answers throughout the text, as well as exercises with full solutions. Online resources include electronic versions of figures from the book, example assignments and suggested answers and links to websites containing relevant video clips and news stories.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'Finally, an undergraduate level textbook on astrobiology that provides the perfect entry for students interested in this burgeoning field. The profuse and well-chosen illustrations, charts and tables, the clearly written text, and the comprehensive and balanced coverage make An Introduction to Astrobiology stand out. After twenty five years of teaching an undergraduate course in astrobiology, I finally will be able to use a single book that is authoritative and yet will captivate the student readers. Beautifully written and produced, this is certain to become the gold standard for introductory astrobiology textbooks.' Professor John Scalo, University of Texas, Austin 'The authors of this book are to be congratulated on bringing scientific rigour to the concept of 'astrobiology' ... The text is always clear, there are definitions in the margins; there are many questions and answers (indeed, some of the most interesting discussions are in the answers at the back); and all mathematics is confined to separate boxes or exercises. There are plenty of clear and colourful diagrams, and excellent images with preference for the most illuminating rather than the most familiar ones.' Dr John Rogers, University of Cambridge 'I find the organization and flow of ideas in An Introduction to Astrobiology to be appealing in their logic and simplicity. In summary, it lives up to its title by providing an interesting overview of this developing field. I recommend it both as a primary text for upper division courses that aim to introduce undergraduate students to science and as a supplementary text for graduate level courses that explore more focused themes of this fascinating field of science.' Professor Jack D. Farmer, Arizona State University '... serves perfectly for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as more established researchers looking to read up on other fields, and is equally approachable for non-scientists interested in finding out a bit more about this young field. I've already recommended this book to a new student!' The Observatory
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Editions-Typ
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
Worked examples or Exercises; 200 Halftones, color
Maße
Höhe: 263 mm
Breite: 211 mm
Dicke: 22 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-107-60093-5 (9781107600935)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
David A. Rothery is a volcanologist and planetary scientist at The Open University, with a background in geological remote sensing and a special fascination for the satellites of the outer planets. Iain Gilmour is Head of the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute at The Open University where he undertakes research on meteorites and large scale planetary impacts. Mark A. Sephton is Professor of Organic Geochemistry and Meteoritics in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. His research interests focus on organic records on Earth and in space.
Herausgeber*in
The Open University, Milton Keynes
The Open University, Milton Keynes
Imperial College London
1. Origin of life; 2. Habitable world; 3. Mars; 4. Icy bodies: Europa and elsewhere; 5. Titan; 6. The detection of exoplanets; 7. The nature of exoplanetary systems; 8. How to find life on exoplanets; 9. Extraterrestrial intelligence; Answers and comments; Appendices; Glossary; Further reading; Acknowledgements; Figure references; Index.
