The life of super-Earths : how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet / Dimitar Sasselov.
"In the past year, we have witnessed unprecedented breakthroughs in the seemingly unrelated fields of synthetic biology and exoplanetary astronomy. Just recently, arsenic-based bacteria was discovered in a California lake-both puzzling and electrifying the scientific world. In The Life of Super-Earths, expert astronomer Dimitar Sasselov aims to highlight these groundbreaking findings and explain how what we learn in the laboratory informs our investigation of the universe, and vice versa. The discovery of a New Earth, or other world, may be in our future. But a truly 'alien' life form is more likely to emerge from our planet's natural environment or in a petri dish at a research lab. We may cross a milestone into the era of synthetic biology under the microscope. These breakthroughs will shed new light on our place in the universe and answer the age-old question: Are we alone in the universe? The Life of Super-Earths offers nothing short of a revolution in our understanding of life and its place in the cosmos"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780465021932 (hardback)
- ISBN: 046502193X (hardback)
- ISBN: 9780465023400 (e-book)
- ISBN: 0465023401 (e-book)
- Physical Description: xvi, 202 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Basic Books, c2012.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Introduction : The mystery of life -- Extrasolar planets at last -- The world of planets -- Completing the Copernican revolution -- Chasing transits -- Super-Earth : a new type of planet -- Super-Earths : the hardest rocks in the universe -- The scale of life -- Origins of life : why planets? -- Life as a planetary phenomenon -- Places we could call home -- The passage of time : the universe is young, life is younger -- The future of life. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Exobiology. Synthetic biology. Extrasolar planets. Life > Origin. Life on other planets. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
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Kirtland Community College Library | QH 326 .S27 2012 | 30543635 | General Collection | Available | - |