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Life on Earth and other Planetary Bodies

  • Book
  • © 2012

Overview

Editors:
  1. Arnold Hanslmeier

    1. Institut für Geophysik, Astrophysik und Meteorologie, Universität Graz, Graz, Austria

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  2. Stephan Kempe

    1. , Physical Geology and Global Cycles, Institute of Applied Geosciences (IAG), Darmstadt, Germany

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  3. Joseph Seckbach

    1. University of Jerusalem, Efrat, Israel

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Experts from 20 countries discuss life on Earth and possible life on planets
  • Each contributed chapter contains numerous references for further study
  • Each chapter is written as a review on a specific topic

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology (COLE, volume 24)

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Table of contents (27 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. Pathways to Life on Earth and Other Planetary Bodies

    • Joseph Seckbach
    Pages 1-8

  3. Introduction

    • Giora Shaviv
    Pages 9-12

  4. Halophiles, Continental Evaporites and the Search for Biosignatures in Environmental Analogues for Mars

    • Roberto Barbieri, Nunzia Stivaletta
    Pages 13-26

  5. Vesicular Basalts as a Niche for Microbial Life

    • Barbara Cavalazzi, Frances Westall, Sherry L. Cady
    Pages 27-43

  6. SETI: Assessing Imaginative Proposals

    • Stephen P. Cook
    Pages 45-62

  7. Molecules Between the Stars

    • Nick Cox
    Pages 63-79

  8. Prokaryotic Communities Below Planetary Surfaces and Their Involvement in the Nitrogen Cycle

    • Friedrich W. Gerbl, Gerhard W. Weidler, Angelika Breitfuss, Marion Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer, Helga Stan-Lotter
    Pages 81-99

  9. Extrasolar Planets

    • Eike W. Guenther
    Pages 101-120

  10. “Life Without Water”: The Sleeping Chironomid and Other Anhydrobiotic Invertebrates and Their Utilization in Astrobiology

    • Oleg Gusev, Takashi Okuda
    Pages 121-138

  11. Habitability and Cosmic Catastrophes

    • Arnold Hanslmeier
    Pages 139-157

  12. Glaciopanspermia: Seeding the Terrestrial Planets with Life?

    • Joop M. Houtkooper
    Pages 159-170

  13. Chemical Evolution in Primeval Seas

    • Kamaluddin
    Pages 171-193

  14. Terrestrial Analogues for Early Planetary Oceans: NIUAFO‘OU CALDERA LAKES (Tonga) and Their Geology, Water Chemistry, and Stromatolites

    • Stephan Kempe, Józef Kazmierczak
    Pages 195-234

  15. Comparison of Environment Types with Liquid Water on Mars

    • Ákos Kereszturi
    Pages 235-250

  16. Criteria of Possible Habitability of Earthlike Exoplanets

    • Leonid V. Ksanfomality
    Pages 251-270

  17. Origin of the Genetic Code and Abiotic Synthesis of Organic Compounds

    • Zita Martins
    Pages 271-289

  18. Dynamical Aspects for the Earth’s Habitability

    • Elke Pilat-Lohinger
    Pages 291-306

  19. A Dynamic Scheme to Assess Habitability of Exoplanets

    • Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Abel Méndez, Alberto G. Fairén, Philip von Paris, Carol Turse, Grayson Boyer et al.
    Pages 307-321

  20. Astrobiology of Titan

    • Michae Simakov
    Pages 323-344
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Keywords

About this book

A trio of editors [Professors from Austria, Germany and Israel] present Life on Earth and other Planetary Bodies. The contributors are from twenty various countries and present their research on life here as well as the possibility for extraterrestrial life. This volume covers concepts such as life’s origin, hypothesis of Panspermia and of life possibility in the Cosmos. The topic of extraterrestrial life is currently ‘hot’ and the object of several congresses and conferences. While the diversity of “normal” biota is well known, life on the edge of the extremophiles is more limited and less distributed. Other subjects discussed are Astrobiology with the frozen worlds of Mars, Europa and Titan where extant or extinct microbial life may exist in subsurface oceans; conditions on icy Mars with its saline, alkaline, and liquid water which has been recently discovered; chances of habitable Earth-like [or the terrestrial analogues] exoplanets; and SETI’s search for extraterrestrial Intelligence.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“A collection of articles about life, habitability and astrobiology, that should find a place on everyone’s reading-list who’s interested in the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the quickly evolving field of astrobiology and search for exoplanets and naturally also SETI. … it’s definitely a fascinating book. The best part about the book might be that you get to know some of the objects of the Solar system a lot more from the habitability aspect.” (Kadri Tinn, AstroMadness.com, March, 2014)

“Rich in subject matter, this book is exceptionally broad in its coverage of the evolutionary boundary between inorganic and organic matter. … Figures, diagrams, and color photos are well chosen. … Extensive references follow each chapter. This book will appeal to astronomers, chemists, and biologists as well as practicing astrobiologists who wish to explore the current extent of research and thinking in this new field. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (W. E. Howard III, Choice, Vol. 50 (9), May, 2013)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Institut für Geophysik, Astrophysik und Meteorologie, Universität Graz, Graz, Austria

    Arnold Hanslmeier

  • , Physical Geology and Global Cycles, Institute of Applied Geosciences (IAG), Darmstadt, Germany

    Stephan Kempe

  • University of Jerusalem, Efrat, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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