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Are humans a galactic oddity, or will complex life with human abilities develop on planets with environments that remain habitable for long enough? In a clear, jargon-free style, two leading researchers in the burgeoning field of astrobiology critically examine the major evolutionary steps that led us from the distant origins of life to the technologically advanced species we are today. Are the key events that took life from simple cells to astronauts unique occurrences that would be unlikely to occur on other planets? By focusing on what life does - it's functional abilities - rather than specific biochemistry or anatomy, the authors provide plausible answers to this question. Systematicall...
It has been nearly 100 years since the Apollo moon landings, when Jack and Vladimir, two astronauts on a mission to Venus, discover a mysterious void related to indigenous life on the planet. Subsequently more voids are detected on Earth, Mars, Titan, and, quite ominously, inside a planetoid emerging from the Kuiper belt. Jack is sent to investigate the voids in the Solar System and intercept the planetoid - which, as becomes increasingly clear, is inhabited by alien life forms. Jack and his crew will have little time to understand their alien biochemistry, abilities, behavior patterns, resilience, and technology, but also how these life forms relate to the voids. Humankind's first encounter...
Life on Mars exists but we are too timid to accept the facts Life on Mars exists but are we brave enough to accept the facts? Extraterrestrial life exists and there’s evidence to prove it The question ‘are we alone?’ has haunted the human race for centuries. In this compelling and controversial work, Dirk Schulze-Makuch and David Darling argue that we already know the answer: no. Abundant extraterrestrial life is astrobiological fact and there is evidence to prove it. Far from existing light-years away in the outer reaches of space, it’s on our very doorstep. From methane oceans on Titan to advanced organic molecules on Mars, Schulze-Makuch and Darling contend that microbial life is a near certainty both in the Solar System and beyond. Using the latest scientific data, including from the Phoenix probe, which landed on Mars in 2008, We Are Not Alone stands to truly revolutionize our perception of our place in the universe.
In Cosmic Biology, Louis Irwin and Dirk Schulze-Makuch guide readers through the range of planetary habitats found in our Solar System and those likely to be found throughout the universe. Based on our current knowledge of chemistry, energy, and evolutionary tendencies, the authors envision a variety of possible life forms. These range from the familiar species found on Earth to increasingly exotic examples possible under the different conditions of other planets and their satellites. Discussions of the great variety of life forms that could evolve in these diverse environments have become particularly relevant in recent years with the discovery of around 300 exoplanets in orbit around other...
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. Considers exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as the primary solvent and the question of detecting bio- and geosignatures of such life forms, ranging from earth environments to deep space. Seeks an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter. Avoids scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.
Acerbic dark humour meets hardcore science in this mind-boggling exploration of the nine worst ways the world could end Discover the mind-boggling science of the coming apocalypse! 'Curiously pleasurable… this will help you get your everyday problems into perspective.' Independent Which will get us first? The supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park? An asteroid hurtling through outer space? Black holes from CERN gobbling up the solar system? An army of deranged, super-intelligent AI? Or – who knows – alien invasion? Armed with lavish illustrations and their one-of-a-kind 'Catastrophometer', Dr David Darling and Dr Dirk Schulze-Makuch introduce the disasters you never saw coming, unpicking the science that makes them genuine possibilities, and providing everything from survival tips to danger ratings. So sit back, face the inevitable, and discover the delights of the nine oddest ways the world could end.
To boldly go where no human has gone before... A human mission to Mars will most likely be a one way journey into the unknown, and the first step to the human colonization of the cosmos. Why a one way mission? Who should go? What might they discover about the Red Planet, and themselves? These twenty chapters written by the top scientists in the world and two astronauts who walked on the moon, and edited by famed cosmologist, Paul Davies, and astrobiologiest, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, provide a veritable road map to the Red Planet. What would it be like to be part of a long duration space mission to Mars? How might it feel to watch the receding Earth slowly growing smaller in the blackness of nigh...
This book discusses the big questions about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life, whether intelligent or microbial, would impact society and humankind.
Explores the possibilities of how life began on Earth four billion years ago