Search for Life on Other Planets

by Bruce Jakosky

Book Overview

Does life exist on other planets? This 1998 book presents the scientific basis for thinking there may be life elsewhere in the Universe. It is the first to cover the entire breadth of recent exciting discoveries, including the discovery of planets around other stars and the possibility of fossil life in meteorites from Mars. Suitable for the general reader, this authoritative book avoids technical jargon and is well illustrated throughout. It covers all the major topics, including the origin and early history of life on Earth, the environmental conditions necessary for life to exist, the possibility that life might exist elsewhere in our Solar System, the occurrence of planets around other stars and their habitability, and the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life. For all those interested in understanding the scientific evidence for and likelihood of extraterrestrial life, this is the most comprehensive and readable book to date.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521598370
• ISBN13: 9780521598378
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

An excellent introduction to a rapidly advancing field

Bruce Jakosky has done an excellent job of pulling together recent thinking from many of the different disciplines that contribute to looking for life on other planets. It would be extremely difficult to find another book that does as good a job at discussing such up-to-date material at an introductory level without sacrificing too much depth. The material in this book should be understandable to advanced undergraduates in biology, geology, chemistry, or physics. It is probably best read by skipping from topic to topic rather than straight through from cover to cover. The "Additional Reading" section at the end provides very good references for more advanced discussions. Overall, I found "The Search for Life on Other Planets" to be an extremely helpful introduction and a good launching board for further reading.

An impressive treatment of a fascinating topic

Bruce Jakosky has made a marvelous contribution to a subject that will inevitably command increasing attention. His book is well organized, it is well written and the many photos and diagrams add significantly to its value. His explanations of relevant topics are clear whether they involve the fields of geology, chemistry, biology or astronomy. All in all, he does a great job in presenting an objective assessment of the likelihood of finding life within our solar system. Highly readable and it's well worth it.