ABSTRACT

Choice Recommended Title, August 2019

Read an exclusive interview with Professor Vera Kolb here.

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth. This exciting and significant field of research also investigates the potential existence and search for extra-terrestrial life in the Solar System and beyond.

This is the first handbook in this burgeoning and interdisciplinary field. Edited by Vera Kolb, a highly respected astrobiologist, this comprehensive resource captures the history and current state of the field. Rich in information and easy to use, it assumes basic knowledge and provides answers to questions from practitioners and specialists in the field, as well as providing key references for further study.

Features:

  • Fills an important gap in the market, providing a comprehensive overview of the field
  • Edited by an authority in the subject, with chapters written by experts in the many diverse areas that comprise astrobiology
  • Contains in-depth and broad coverage of an exciting field that will only grow in importance in the decades ahead
  • section Section I|1 pages

    Astrobiology

    chapter 1.1|11 pages

    Astrobiology

    Definition, Scope, and a Brief Overview

    chapter 1.2|11 pages

    Astrobiology Goals

    NASA Strategy and European Roadmap

    chapter 1.5|5 pages

    Astrobiology-as-Origins-Story

    Education and Inspiration across Cultures

    section Section III|1 pages

    Origin of Life

    chapter 3.1|16 pages

    Philosophical Aspects of the Origin-of-Life Problem

    Neither by Chance Nor by Design

    chapter 3.2|12 pages

    Charles Darwin and the Plurality of Worlds

    Are We Alone?

    section Section V|1 pages

    Chemical Origin of Life

    chapter 5.1|15 pages

    Prebiotic Chemistry That Led to Life

    chapter 5.3|31 pages

    The Hydrothermal Impact Crater Lakes

    The Crucibles of Life’s Origin

    chapter 5.8|9 pages

    Phosphorylation on the Early Earth

    The Role of Phosphorus in Biochemistry and Its Bioavailability

    chapter 5.9|5 pages

    Silicon and Life

    section Section VI|1 pages

    RNA and RNA World: Complexity of Life’s Origins

    chapter 6.1|16 pages

    Transitions

    RNA and Ribozymes in the Development of Life

    chapter 6.2|13 pages

    Three Ways to Make an RNA Sequence

    Steps from Chemistry to the RNA World

    chapter 6.3|12 pages

    Coevolution of RNA and Peptides

    chapter 6.5|26 pages

    The Origin of Life as an Evolutionary Process

    Representative Case Studies

    chapter 6.6|18 pages

    The Complexity of Life’s Origins

    A Physicochemical View

    section Section VII|1 pages

    Origin of Life

    chapter 7.1|8 pages

    Oparin’s Coacervates

    chapter 7.2|27 pages

    Protocell Emergence and Evolution

    section Section VIII|1 pages

    Origin of Life and Its Diversification. Universal Tree of Life. Early Primitive Life on Earth. Fossils of Ancient Microorganisms. Biomarkers and Detection of Life

    chapter 8.6|11 pages

    Biomarkers and Their Raman Spectral Signatures

    An Analytical Challenge in Astrobiology

    section Section IX|1 pages

    Life under Extreme Conditions—Microbes in Space

    chapter 9.2|16 pages

    Microbes in Space

    chapter 9.3|6 pages

    Virus Evolution and Ecology

    Role of Viruses in Adaptation of Life to Extreme Environments

    section Section X|1 pages

    Habitability

    chapter 10.1|14 pages

    The Evolution of Habitability

    Characteristics of Habitable Planets

    section Section XI|1 pages

    Intelligent Life in Space

    chapter 11.1|16 pages

    Mind in Universe

    On the Origin, Evolution, and Distribution of Intelligent Life in Space

    chapter 11.3|13 pages

    SETI

    Its Goals and Accomplishments

    section Section XII|1 pages

    Exoplanets, Exploration of Solar System, the Search for Extraterrestrial Life in Our Solar System, and Planetary Protection

    chapter 12.1|15 pages

    Exoplanets

    Methods for Their Detection and Their Habitability Potential

    chapter 12.2|11 pages

    Solar System Exploration

    Small Bodies and Their Chemical and Physical Conditions

    chapter 12.3|13 pages

    Solar System Exploration

    Icy Moons and Their Habitability

    chapter 12.5|16 pages

    Planetary Protection