Beyond UFOs

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future

Jeffrey Bennett (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

232 Seiten

2008
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-13549-6 (ISBN)

Infos

The quest for extraterrestrial life doesn't happen only in science fiction. This book describes the startling discoveries being made in the very real science of astrobiology, an intriguing new field that blends astronomy, biology, and geology to explore the possibility of life on other planets. Jeffrey Bennett takes readers beyond UFOs to discuss some of the tantalizing questions astrobiologists grapple with every day: What is life and how does it begin? What makes a planet or moon habitable? Is there life on Mars or elsewhere in the solar system? How can life be recognized on distant worlds? Is it likely to be microbial, more biologically complex--or even intelligent? What would such a discovery mean for life here on Earth? Come along on this scientific adventure and learn the astonishing implications of discoveries made in this field for the future of the human race. Bennett, who believes that "science is a way of helping people come to agreement," explains how the search for extraterrestrial life can help bridge the divide that sometimes exists between science and religion, defuse public rancor over the teaching of evolution, and quiet the debate over global warming.
He likens humanity today to a troubled adolescent teetering on the edge between self-destruction and a future of virtually limitless possibilities. Beyond UFOs shows why the very quest to find alien life can help us to grow up as a species and chart a course for the stars.

Autor

Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist, author, and educator. He is the author or coauthor of leading college-level textbooks in astrobiology, astronomy, mathematics, and statistics, including "Life in the Universe". He is also the author of "On the Cosmic Horizon" and the children's books "Max Goes to the Moon" and "Max Goes to Mars".

Inhalt

Preface Alien Dreams xi Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1: Worlds beyond Imagination 1 Chapter 2: What Makes It Science? 22 Chapter 3: What I Know about Aliens 41 Chapter 4: What Is Life? 62 Chapter 5: Getting Life Started 87 Chapter 6: The Makings of a Truly Great Planet 111 Chapter 7: Life in the Solar System 137 Chapter 8: Life among the Stars 161 Chapter 9: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence 184 Chapter 10: Where Is Everybody? 197 To Learn More 207 Index 209

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.2.2008
• Zusatzinfo: 8 color illus. 25 halftones.
• Verlagsort: New Jersey
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 152 x 235 mm
• Gewicht: 510 g
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber
• ISBN-10: 0-691-13549-5 / 0691135495
• ISBN-13: 978-0-691-13549-6 / 9780691135496
• Zustand: Neuware