How did life begin on Earth, and where else might it have taken hold? In The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe, astronomer Chris Impey shows how the search for life elsewhere begins with a closer look at our own planet.
Organisms that thrive in punishing heat or deep underground have widened scientists’ ideas about where life could survive.
Impey follows those clues from Earth to Mars and to planets orbiting distant stars, asking what evidence would persuade us that we had found life beyond Earth.
Written for the curious general reader, this is an inviting introduction to astrobiology and the enduring question of whether we are alone.
Impey examines how life on Earth began, exploring its incredible variety and the extreme environments in which it can survive. Finally, Impey turns his attention to our Solar System and the planets beyond, discussing whether there may be life elsewhere in the Universe. Written in non-technical language, this book is ideal for anyone wanting to know more about astrobiology and how it is changing our views of life and the Universe.
An accompanying website available at www.cambridge.org/9780521173841 features podcasts, articles and news stories on astrobiology.
