Explores the question whether it is possible that there is life anywhere else in the universe or whether life is something special that could only happen on earth. Introduces the latest theories about how life started on earth and the latest findings about what other places in the universe might be...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	Shapiro, Robert (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Buch
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	New York [u.a.] Wiley 1999
Schlagworte:	Buitenaards leven Exobiologie Vie extraterrestre Extraterrestrial anthropology Life on other planets Außerirdisches Leben
Zusammenfassung:	Explores the question whether it is possible that there is life anywhere else in the universe or whether life is something special that could only happen on earth. Introduces the latest theories about how life started on earth and the latest findings about what other places in the universe might be able to support life. Planetary Dreams: The Quest To Discover Life Beyond Earth. "The dreams that I write of are not the usual ones, the images that come up in our minds involuntarily during certain stages of sleep, but rather the hopes and expectations that we have lavished upon other worlds around us."-from the Preface.The surprisingly long history of debate over extraterrestrial life is full of marvelous visions of what life out there might be like, as well as remarkable stories of alleged sightings and heated disputes about the probability that life might actually have arisen more than once In Planetary Dreams, acclaimed author Robert Shapiro explores this rich history of dreams and debates in search of the best current answers to the most elusive and compelling of all questions: Are we alone? In his pursuit, he presents three contrasting views regarding how life might have started: through divine creation, by a highly unlikely stroke of luck, or by the inevitable process of a natural law that he terms the life principle. We are treated to a lively fictional dinner debate among the leading proponents of these schools of thought, with the last named group arguing that life has almost surely formed in many places throughout the universe, and the others that life may well be entirely unique to our own blue planet. To set the stage for a deep exploration of the question, the author then leads us on a fantastic journey through the museum of the cosmos, an imagined building that holds models of the universe at different degrees of magnification We then journey deep into inner space to view the astonishingly intricate life of a single cell, and learn why the origin of such a complex object from simple chemical mixtures poses one of the most profound enigmas known to science. Writing in a wonderfully entertaining style, Shapiro then reviews the competing theories about the start of life on earth, and suggests the debate may best be settled by finding signs of life on the other worlds of our solar system. He takes us on a guided tour of the most likely sites, from the underground hot springs of Mars to the ice-covered oceans of Jupiter's airless moons. Along the way, he shares a wealth of fascinating stories about the ways in which our views of the heavens have changed, from the theories of ancient philosophers, who argued that the moon was inhabited, to the current origins and astrobiology initiatives of NASA
Beschreibung:	XIV, 306 S. Ill.
ISBN:	0471179361