Life in the Universe, 5th Edition

Jeffrey Bennett, Seth Shostak, Nicholas Schneider, and Meredith MacGregor

The world鈥檚 leading textbook on astrobiology鈥攊deal for an introductory one-semester course and now fully revised and updated

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Are we alone in the cosmos? How are scientists seeking signs of life beyond our home planet? Could we colonize other planets, moons, or even other star systems? This introductory textbook, written by a team of four renowned science communicators, educators, and researchers, tells the amazing story of how modern science is seeking the answers to these and other fascinating questions. They are the questions that are at the heart of the highly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology, the study of life in the universe.

Written in an accessible, conversational style for anyone intrigued by the possibilities of life in the solar system and beyond, Life in the Universe is an ideal place to start learning about the latest discoveries and unsolved mysteries in the field. From the most recent missions to Saturn鈥檚 moons and our neighboring planet Mars to revolutionary discoveries of thousands of exoplanets, from the puzzle of life鈥檚 beginning on Earth to the latest efforts in the search for intelligent life elsewhere, this book captures the imagination and enriches the reader鈥檚 understanding of how astronomers, planetary scientists, biologists, and other scientists make progress at the cutting edge of this dynamic field. Enriched with a wealth of engaging features, this textbook brings any citizen of the cosmos up to speed with the scientific quest to discover whether we are alone or part of a universe full of life.

An acclaimed text designed to inspire students of all backgrounds to explore foundational questions about life in the cosmos
Completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in the field, including recent exploratory space missions to Mars, frontier exoplanet science, research on the origin of life on Earth, and more
Enriched with helpful learning aids, including in-chapter Think about It questions, optional Do the Math and Special Topic boxes, Movie Madness boxes, end-of-chapter exercises and problems, quick quizzes, and much more
Supported by instructor鈥檚 resources, including an illustration package and test bank, available upon request

Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist and educator whose publications include the bestselling textbook The Cosmic Perspective as well as an award-winning series of children鈥檚 books. Seth Shostak is a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and the author of Confessions of an Alien Hunter. Nicholas Schneider is a professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and coauthor of The Cosmic Perspective and other bestselling textbooks. Meredith MacGregor is an assistant professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

- Preface
- About the Authors
- How to Succeed in Your Astrobiology Course
- PART I Introducing Life in the Universe
  - 1 A Universe of Life?
    - 1.1 The Possibility of Life Beyond Earth
    - 1.2 The Scientific Context of the Search
    - 1.3 Places to Search
    - 1.4 The Science of Astrobiology
    - Exercises and Problems
    - MOVIE MADNESS Cinema Aliens
  - 2 The Science of Life in the Universe
    - 2.1 The Ancient Debate About Life Beyond Earth
    - 2.2 The Copernican Revolution
    - 2.3 The Nature of Modern Science
    - 2.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION The Fact and Theory of Gravity
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 2.1 Kepler鈥檚 Third Law
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 2.1: Geocentrism and the Church
    - MOVIE MADNESS Gravity
  - 3 The Universal Context of Life
    - 3.1 The Universe and Life
    - 3.2 The Structure, Scale, and History of the Universe
    - 3.3 A Universe of Matter and Energy
    - 3.4 Our Solar System
    - 3.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Ongoing Development of the Nebular Theory
    - Exercises and Problems
    - KEY ASTRONOMICAL DEFINITIONS
    - DO THE MATH 3.1 How Far Is a Light-Year?
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 3.1 How Do We Know That the Universe Is Expanding?
    - MOVIE MADNESS Interstellar
- PART II Life on Earth
  - 4 The Habitability of Earth
    - 4.1 Geology and Life
    - 4.2 Reconstructing the History of Earth and Life
    - 4.3 The Hadean Earth and the Dawn of Life
    - 4.4 Geology and Habitability
    - 4.5 Climate Regulation and Change
    - 4.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Formation of the Moon
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 4.1 Radiometric Dating
    - KEY GEOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS
    - MOVIE MADNESS Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
  - 5 The Nature of Life on Earth
    - 5.1 Defining Life
    - 5.2 Cells: The Basic Units of Life
    - 5.3 Metabolism: The Chemistry of Life
    - 5.4 DNA and Heredity
    - 5.5 Life at the Extreme
    - 5.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Evolution as Science
    - Exercises and Problems
    - KEY GEOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 5.1 Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution
    - DO THE MATH 5.1 The Dominant Form of Life on Earth
    - MOVIE MADNESS War of the Worlds
  - 6 The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
    - 6.1 Searching for Life鈥檚 Origins
    - 6.2 The Origin of Life
    - 6.3 The Evolution of Life
    - 6.4 Impacts and Extinctions
    - 6.5 Human Evolution
    - 6.6 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Artificial Life
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 6.1 Bacteria in a Bottle I: Lessons for Early Life
    - MOVIE MADNESS Armageddon
    - DO THE MATH 6.2 Bacteria in a Bottle II: Lessons for the Human Race
- PART III Life in the Solar System
  - 7 Searching for Life in Our Solar System
    - 7.1 Environmental Requirements for Life
    - 7.2 A Biological Tour of the Inner Solar System
    - 7.3 A Biological Tour of the Outer Solar System
    - 7.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Spacecraft Exploration of the Solar System
    - Exercises and Problems
    - MOVIE MADNESS 2001: A Space Odyssey
    - DO THE MATH 7.1 Newton鈥檚 Version of Kepler鈥檚 Third Law
  - 8 Mars
    - 8.1 Fantasies of Martian Civilization
    - 8.2 A Modern Portrait of Mars
    - 8.3 The Climate History of Mars
    - 8.4 Searching for Life on Mars
    - 8.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Martian Meteorites
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 8.1 The Surface Area鈥搕o鈥揤olume Ratio
    - MOVIE MADNESS The Martian
  - 9 Life on Jovian Moons
    - 9.1 The Moons of the Outer Solar System
    - 9.2 Life on Jupiter鈥檚 Galilean Moons
    - 9.3 Life Elsewhere in the Solar System
    - 9.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Chemical Energy for Life
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 9.1 The Strength of the Tidal Force
    - MOVIE MADNESS 2010: The Year We Make Contact
  - 10 The Nature and Evolution of Habitability
    - 10.1 The Concept of a Habitable Zone
    - 10.2 Venus: An Example in Potential Habitability
    - 10.3 Surface Habitability Factors and the Habitable Zone
    - 10.4 The Future of Life on Earth
    - 10.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Global Warming: Science, Consequences, and Solutions
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 10.1 Chances of Being in the Zone
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 10.1 How Long Is 5 Billion Years?
    - MOVIE MADNESS Wall-E
- PART IV Life Among the Stars
  - 11 Exoplanets: Their Nature and Potential Habitability
    - 11.1 Distant Suns
    - 11.2 Discovering Exoplanets
    - 11.3 The Number and Nature of Exoplanets
    - 11.4 The Habitability of Exoplanets
    - 11.5 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Classifying Stars
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 11.1 Finding Orbital Distances for Exoplanets
    - DO THE MATH 11.2 Finding Masses of Exoplanets
    - DO THE MATH 11.3 Finding Sizes of Exoplanets
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 11.1 The Names of Exoplanets
    - MOVIE MADNESS Star Wars
  - 12 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
    - 12.1 The Drake Equation
    - 12.2 The Question of Intelligence
    - 12.3 Searching for Intelligence
    - 12.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION UFOs and Aliens on Earth
    - Exercises and Problems
    - SPECIAL TOPIC 12.1 Frank Drake and His Equation
    - DO THE MATH 12.1 The Distance Between Signaling Societies
    - MOVIE MADNESS Contact
  - 13 Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox
    - 13.1 The Challenge of Interstellar Travel
    - 13.2 Spacecraft for Interstellar Travel
    - 13.3 The Fermi Paradox
    - 13.4 THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE IN ACTION Einstein鈥檚 Special Theory of Relativity
    - Exercises and Problems
    - DO THE MATH 13.1 The Rocket Equation
    - DO THE MATH 13.2 Time Dilation
    - MOVIE MADNESS Star Trek
- Epilogue: Contact鈥擨mplications for the Search and Discovery
  - Exercises and Problems
  - MOVIE MADNESS E.T.
- Answers to Quick Quiz Questions
- Appendixes
  - A Useful Numbers
  - B Useful Formulas
  - C A Few Mathematical Skills
  - D The Periodic Table of the Elements
  - E The Solar System
  - F List of Learning Objectives
- Glossary
- Credits
- Index

鈥淭his superbly written book explains the science in a lively way鈥攋ust right for undergraduates without experience in astronomy or advanced mathematics. There are few texts that compete with Life in the Universe.鈥濃€擜lan C. Calder, Stony Brook University, State University of New York

鈥淚 really like the broad scope of this book and its accessibility for nonscience majors. Life in the Universe is very strong as a general education undergraduate textbook, covering a wide range of relevant science in astrobiology and providing excellent content for the topics covered. There is something here for everyone.鈥濃€擱achel L. Smith, Appalachian State University

鈥淐omprehensive and easy to read.鈥濃€擩acob L. Bean, University of Chicago

鈥淭his textbook is very user-friendly for nonscience majors who need to fulfill a science requirement, nicely blending well-written discussions and informative images.鈥濃€擬elinda L. Hutson, Portland State University

鈥�Life in the Universe presents this material in a way that is accessible to students with little to no physics background.鈥濃€擯aul M. Robertson, University of California, Irvine