Faint echoes, distant stars : the science and politics of finding life beyond Earth / Ben Bova.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bova, Ben, 1932-2020.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Life on other planets.

Exobiology.

Physical Description:

xiii, 335 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Morrow, 2004.

Summary:

In this fascinating and cutting-edge work, Bova explores one of the most thrilling and elemental questions humanity has ever posed: Is man alone? From Copernicus to the advent of SETI and beyond, Bova takes his readers on a tour of the scientific and political battles fought in the pursuit of knowledge and speculates on what the future may hold.

Contents:

Section I The Path to Astrobiology 5

1 Are We Alone? 7

2 Time and the Tide of Opinion 19

3 The Three Requirements of Life 27

4 The Extreme Road to Astrobiology 33

5 The Great Mindshift: Exobiology Becomes Astrobiology 41

Section II The Path to Life on Earth 57

6 The Birth of Our Solar System 59

7 The Birth of Our World 68

8 Nature's Enforcers 78

9 The Birth of Life 87

10 Opportunistic, Tenacious Life 98

11 Life's Impact on Planet Earth 112

Section III Life in the Solar System 125

12 A Model Planet Called Mars 127

13 Exploring Mars 135

14 Hotworlds and False Assumptions 155

15 The Realm of the Giants 167

16 The Realm of Ice 190

Section IV Life Beyond the Solar System 205

17 Extrasolar Planets: Good News and Bad News 207

18 The Heartbreak of SETI 229

19 UFOs, Abductions, and Ancient Astronauts 255

Section V Tomorrow 269

Epilogue: An Agenda for the Future 271

Postscript: The Apocalypse to Come 285

Appendix 1 Units and Conversions 289

Appendix 2 Refractors and Reflectors 291

Appendix 3 Cosmic Abundances of the Elements 293

Appendix 4 Acid and Alkaline: The pH Story 294

Appendix 5 Major Planets of the Solar System 295

Appendix 6 Radioactive Dating: Nature's Alchemy 297

Appendix 7 DNA and RNA 299

Appendix 8 Contamination: Sterilization and the Isolation Ward 302

Appendix 9 Death's Calling Card 304

Appendix 10 The Nitrogen Fix ... and Israel 306

Appendix 11 Charles Darwin 308.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

038097519X

OCLC:

52509614

Online:

Publisher description