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ASTROBIOLOGY, COMETS AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE
by Chandra Wickramasinghe (Cardiff University, UK)
The idea that comets may be connected with the origins of life on Earth was considered heresy decades ago, but is now slowly gaining respect and support. The recent surge of interest in astrobiology has led to a spate of books designed for university courses, but the subject of cometary panspermia is only dealt with very briefly. Future space missions are directed to verifying aspects of this subject, and this definitive book by one of the pioneers of the field makes essential reading.
The book presents the growing case for cometary panspermia in a cogent form, citing evidence from space science, geology and biology. It forms an important component of any undergraduate course on astrobiology, whilst also serving the needs of researchers in the field.
Contents:
- Early History of Panspermia
- Pivotal Role of Svante Arrhenius
- Space
Survival Properties of Bacteria
- Relevance of Interstellar Organic Molecules
- Clues from Interstellar Dust
- Formation of Comets in the Early Solar System
- Clues from Studies of Comets
- Comets — Incubators and Transporters
- Microfossils in Meteorites?
- Case of ALH84001
- Interplanetary Panspermia
- Probability of Life’s Origins
- The Growing Case for Cometary Panspermia
Readership: General scientific audience, astronomers, undergraduates in
astrobiology.
| 200pp (approx.) |
Pub. date: Scheduled Winter 2008 |
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