An Introduction to Astrobiology

Book Overview

How did life on Earth begin? How common is it elsewhere in the Universe? Written and edited by planetary scientists and astrobiologists, this undergraduate-level textbook provides an introduction to the origin and nature of life, the habitable environments in our solar system and the techniques most successfully used for discovery and characterisation of exoplanets. This third edition has been thoroughly revised to embrace the latest developments in this field. Updated topics include the origins of water on Earth, the exploration of habitable environments on Mars, Europa and Enceladus, and the burgeoning discoveries in exoplanetary systems. Ideal for introductory courses on the subject, the textbook is also well-suited for self-study. It highlights important concepts and techniques in boxed summaries, with questions and exercises throughout the text, with full solutions provided. Online resources, hosted at www.cambridge.org/features/planets, include selected figures from the book, self-assessment questions and sample tutor assignments. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521837367
• ISBN13: 9780521837361
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 2.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.4" x 10.5"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Introduction into Astrobiology

Twenty-five years ago the study of astrobiology was quite "fringe". Much has occurred since then, as technology has continually improved and we have taken further, somewhat less tentative steps off this planet. We now have claims of life in a Martian meteorite (not yet accepted), the discovery of over 400 exoplanets to-date (and counting), and interesting possibilities for possible life that may yet be found on Mars (under...

More astro than biology

This is an excellent textbook, with straightforward problems ... and answers! There's plenty of solid material here and very little fluff. The information is well presented, up-to-date, and easy to read. Three of the nine chapters are about the potential for life elsewhere in our planetary system, in particular on Mars, Europa, and Titan. Another three chapters are on extrasolar planets: how to find them, what we've...