Planetary and Interstellar Processes Relevant to the Origins of Life

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-iii

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2. Commentary

   • D. C. B. Whittet

   Pages 1-1

3. Origin of the Biologically Important Elements

   • Virginia Trimble

   Pages 3-21

4. Circumstellar and Interstellar Synthesis of Organic Molecules

   • A. G. G. M. Tielens, S. B. Charnley

   Pages 23-51

5. Detection of Organic Matter in Interstellar Grains

   • Yvonne J. Pendleton

   Pages 53-78

6. The Nature and Evolution of Interstellar Ices

   • Jean E. Chiar

   Pages 79-100

7. Interstellar Ices Studied with the Infrared Space Observatory

   • D. C. B. Whittet

   Pages 101-113

8. The Search for Interstellar Glycine

   • Lewis E. Snyder

   Pages 115-133

9. The Origin of Low Mass Stars

   • B. A. Wilking

   Pages 135-155

10. Analogs of the Early Solar System

    • David W. Koerner

    Pages 157-184

11. The Early Solar System

    • Michael J. Gaffey

    Pages 185-203

12. Physics and Chemistry of the Solar Nebula

    • Jonathan I. Lunine

    Pages 205-224

13. Chemical Evolution on Titan: Comparisons to the Prebiotic Earth

    • David W. Clarke, James P. Ferris

    Pages 225-248

14. Is Extraterrestrial Organic Matter Relevant to the Origin of Life on Earth?

    • D. C. B. Whittet

    Pages 249-262

15. The Search for Life on Mars

    • Christopher P. Mckay

    Pages 263-289

16. Habitable Zones Around Low Mass Stars and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

    • James F. Kasting

    Pages 291-307

17. Back Matter

    Pages 309-316

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These are exciting times for exobiology. The ubiquity of organic molecules in interstellar clouds, comets and asteroids strongly supports a cosmic perspective on the origin of life. Data from both ground-based telescopes and the recently launched Infrared Space Observatory are providing new insight into the complexity of carbon-based chemistry beyond the Earth. Meteorites give us solid evidence for extraterrestrial amino acids, and putative fossil evidence for life in a 3.6 billion-year-old Martian meteorite hints that life in our system might not be the sole prerogative of the Earth. Giant planets have now been discovered orbiting other stars, and although such planets seem unlikely to be habitable themselves, their existence strongly suggests what many astronomers have long believed - that planetary systems are commonplace.
All these topics are reviewed in this volume by active researchers. The level is appropriate for graduate students in astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and related disciplines. It will also provide a valuable source of reference for active researchers in these fields.

• Cloud
• Orbit
• Planet
• Planetary system
• Solar System
• amino acids
• astronomy
• evolution
• extraterrestrial life
• geoscience
• solar
• the origin

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, USA

  D. C. B. Whittet

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