Intelligent life in the universe : from common origins to the future of humanity /
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| Author / Creator: | Ulmschneider, P. (Peter), 1938- |
|---|---|
| Imprint: | Berlin ; New York : Springer-Verlag, c2003. |
| Description: | x, 251 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ; 24 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Advances in astrobiology and biogeophysics |
| Subject: | |
| Format: | Print Book |
| URL for this record: | http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/4842831 |
Table of Contents:
- Part I. Planets
- 1. Stars, Galaxies, and the Origin of Chemical Elements
- 1.1. The History of the Universe
- 1.2. Molecular Clouds
- 1.3. The Pre-Main Sequence Evolution of Stars
- 1.4. The Post-Main Sequence Evolution of Stars
- 1.5. Element Composition and Dating
- 1.5.1. Population I and Population II Stars
- 1.5.2. Dating with Radioactive Clocks
- 2. Planet Formation
- 2.1. Accretion Disks and Planetesimal Formation
- 2.2. Terrestrial Planets
- 2.3. Jovian Planets and Kuiper Belt Objects
- 2.4. The Migration of Jovian Planets
- 2.5. The T-Tauri Stage
- 2.6. The Formation of the Moon
- 2.7. The Planetological History of the Early Earth
- 2.7.1. Comets
- 2.7.2. Ocean--Vaporizing Impacts
- 2.7.3. The End of the Heavy Bombardment
- 2.8. The Environment on the Early Earth
- 3. The Search for Extrasolar Planets
- 3.1. The Recently Discovered Planets
- 3.2. Direct Search Methods for Planets
- 3.3. Indirect Search Methods
- 3.4. Circumstellar Disks
- 3.5. New Search Strategies
- 4. Planets Suitable for Life
- 4.1. Habitable Zones
- 4.1.1. The Solar Habitable Zone
- 4.1.2. Habitable Zones Around Other Stars
- 4.2. Planetary Mass and the Evaporation of the Atmosphere
- 4.3. The Lifetimes of the Stars
- 4.4. Tidal Effects on Planets
- 4.5. The Increase in Solar Luminosity and the Continuously Habitable Zone
- 4.6. Instabilities of the Planetary Atmosphere
- 4.6.1. The Greenhouse Effect
- 4.6.2. The Carbonate Silicate Cycle
- 4.6.3. The Runaway Greenhouse Effect
- 4.6.4. Irreversible Glaciation
- 4.7. Axis Variations of the Planets
- 4.8. Biogenic Effects on Planetary Atmospheres
- 4.9. The Requirements for Continuous Habitability
- 4.10. The Drake Formula
- 4.11. The Number of Habitable Planets
- Part II. Life
- 5. Life and its Origin on Earth
- 5.1. What is Life?
- 5.2. The Special Role of Organic Chemistry
- 5.3. The Elements of Biochemistry
- 5.3.1. Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Nucleic Acids
- 5.3.2. The Genetic Code
- 5.3.3. ATP, the Energy Currency of the Biochemical World
- 5.3.4. Synthesizing RNA, DNA, and Proteins
- 5.4. Cells and Organelles
- 5.5. Sequencing and the Classification of Organisms
- 5.5.1. Classification by Sequencing
- 5.5.2. The Molecular Clock
- 5.5.3. The Evolutionary Tree of Bacteria
- 5.5.4. The Timetable of the Evolution of Life
- 5.5.5. Sequencing and the Complete Genome
- 5.6. The Stage for the Appearance of Life
- 5.6.1. The Origin of the Genetic Code
- 5.6.2. The Urey--Miller Experiments
- 5.6.3. The Search for the Last Common Ancestor
- 5.6.4. Summary: The Boundary Conditions
- 5.7. Abiotic Chemical Evolution and the Theories How Life Formed
- 6. Evolution
- 6.1. Darwin's Theory
- 6.2. The Development of Eukaryotes and Endosymbiosis
- 6.3. Geological Traces of Evolution
- 6.4. Oxygen as an Environmental Catastrophe
- 6.5. The Cell Nucleus and Mitosis
- 6.6. Sexuality and Meiosis
- 6.7. Genetic Evolution
- 6.8. Multicellularity, the Formation of Organs, and Programmed Cell Death
- 6.9. Problems of Life on Land
- 6.10. The Great K/T Boundary Event
- 6.11. The Tertiary and the Evolution of Mammals
- 6.12. Primate Evolution
- 6.13. DNA Hybridization
- 6.14. Brain Evolution and Tool Use
- 6.15. Stone Tool Culture
- 6.16. Diet and Social Life
- 6.17. The Logic of the Human Body Plan
- 6.18. Evolution, Chance, and Information
- 6.19. Cultural Evolution
- 7. The Search for Extraterrestrial Life
- 7.1. Life in the Solar System
- 7.2. Europa's Ocean
- 7.3. Life on Mars
- 7.3.1. Early Searches
- 7.3.2. The Viking Experiments
- 7.3.3. Mars Meteorites
- 7.4. The Early Atmosphere of Mars
- 7.5. Future Mars Missions
- 7.6. Life Outside the Solar System
- 7.7. UFOs
- Part III. Intelligence
- 8. The Future of Mankind
- 8.1. Predicting Mankind's Future
- 8.2. Settlement of the Solar System
- 8.2.1. The Space Station
- 8.2.2. Moon and Mars Projects
- 8.2.3. Asteroids and Meteorites
- 8.2.4. Space Travel
- 8.2.5. Near-Earth Asteroids and the Mining of the Solar System
- 8.2.6. Space Habitats
- 8.2.7. Cultural Impact of Space Colonization
- 8.3. Interstellar Travel
- 8.4. Mastering the Biological World
- 8.4.1. Creating Life in the Laboratory
- 8.4.2. The Decoding of the Human Genome
- 8.4.3. Understanding Intelligence
- 8.5. Androids and Miniaturization
- 8.6. Connected Societies
- 8.7. Fear of the Future
- 8.8. The Dangers for Mankind
- 8.8.1. Bacterial or Viral Infection
- 8.8.2. Episodes of Extreme Volcanism
- 8.8.3. Irreversible Glaciation and the Runaway Greenhouse Effect
- 8.8.4. Comet or Asteroid Impact
- 8.8.5. Supernova Explosions and Gamma Ray Bursts
- 8.8.6. Irreversible Environmental Damage
- 8.8.7. Uncontrollable Inventions
- 8.8.8. War, Terrorism, and Irrationality
- 8.9. Survival Strategies
- 9. Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life
- 9.1. Does Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life Exist?
- 9.2. What is the Hypothetical Nature of the Extraterrestrials?
- 9.3. The Drake Formula, the Number of Extraterrestrial Societies
- 9.4. The Lifetime of an Extraterrestrial Civilization
- 9.5. Distances to the Extraterrestrial Societies
- 9.6. SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life
- 9.6.1. Radio Searches for Extraterrestrial Civilizations
- 9.6.2. Possible Contact in the not too Distant Future
- 9.7. The Fermi Paradox: Where are the Extraterrestrials?
- 9.7.1. They do not Exist
- 9.7.2. Technically, a Visit is not Possible
- 9.7.3. They are Nearby, but have not been Detected
- 9.7.4. They are not Interested in Us
- 9.8. The Zoo Hypothesis
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
