000 04185nam a22005535i 4500
001 978-3-540-76817-3
003 DE-He213
005 20161121230920.0
007 cr nn 008mamaa
008 100301s2008 gw | s |||| 0|eng d
020 _a9783540768173
_9978-3-540-76817-3
024 7 _a10.1007/978-3-540-76817-3
_2doi
050 4 _aQH301-705
072 7 _aPSA
_2bicssc
072 7 _aSCI086000
_2bisacsh
082 0 4 _a570
_223
245 1 0 _aLife in the Universe
_h[electronic resource] :
_bExpectations and Constraints /
_cedited by Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Louis N. Irwin.
264 1 _aBerlin, Heidelberg :
_bSpringer Berlin Heidelberg,
_c2008.
300 _aXV, 251 p.
_bonline resource.
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
347 _atext file
_bPDF
_2rda
490 1 _aAdvances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics,
_x1610-8957
505 0 _aDefinition of Life -- Origin of Life -- Lessons from the History of Life on Earth -- Energy Sources and Life -- Building Blocks of Life -- Life and the Need for a Solvent -- Habitats of Life -- Ideas of Exotic Forms of Life -- The Future and Fate of Living Systems -- Signatures of Life -- Life Detection-Past and Present -- Optimizing Space Exploration.
520 _aEnergy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats -- the basic elements of living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This class-tested text examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as basic chemical element, solar energy as a main energy source, or water as primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from Earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers. The second edition thoroughly updates this text in view of the rapid progress in the field and a substantial amount of new material has been added, in particular sections and chapters on adaptation to extreme environments, the future and fate of living systems, life detection concepts based on the thorough analysis of the Viking missions and the issue around the meteorite ALH 84001, and - last but not least - recommendations for the optimization of future space exploration missions. From the reviews of the first edition: "[...] I know of no other book that reassesses the fundamentals of astrobiology in such way. This book is a tacit lesson in open-mindedness tempered with thorough scientific analysis. This is a very important book for all professional astrobiologists." A Ellery, International Journal of Astrobiology, 6 (2007) 182-183.
650 0 _aLife sciences.
650 0 _aGeology.
650 0 _aGeobiology.
650 0 _aBiochemistry.
650 0 _aSpace sciences.
650 0 _aAstrobiology.
650 1 4 _aLife Sciences.
650 2 4 _aLife Sciences, general.
650 2 4 _aGeology.
650 2 4 _aBiogeosciences.
650 2 4 _aAstrobiology.
650 2 4 _aBiochemistry, general.
650 2 4 _aExtraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences.
700 1 _aSchulze-Makuch, Dirk.
_eeditor.
700 1 _aIrwin, Louis N.
_eeditor.
710 2 _aSpringerLink (Online service)
773 0 _tSpringer eBooks
776 0 8 _iPrinted edition:
_z9783540768166
830 0 _aAdvances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics,
_x1610-8957
856 4 0 _uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-76817-3
912 _aZDB-2-EES
950 _aEarth and Environmental Science (Springer-11646)
999 _c505866
_d505866