Astrobiology

A guide to understanding the formation of life in the Universe

The revised and updated second edition of Astrobiology offers an introductory text that explores the structure of living things, the formation of the elements required for life in the Universe, the biological and geological history of the Earth, and the habitability of other planets. Written by a noted expert on the topic, the book examines many of the major conceptual foundations in astrobiology, which cover a diversity of traditional fields including chemistry, biology, geosciences, physics, and astronomy.

The book explores many profound questions such as: How did life originate on Earth? How has life persisted on Earth for over three billion years? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? What is the future of life on Earth? Astrobiology is centered on investigating the past and future of life on Earth by looking beyond Earth to get the answers. Astrobiology links the diverse scientific fields needed to understand life on our own planet and, potentially, life beyond. This new second edition:

• Expands on information about the nature of astrobiology and why it is useful
• Contains a new chapter 'What is Life?' that explores the history of attempts to understand life
• Contains 20% more material on the astrobiology of Mars, icy moons, the structure of life, and the habitability of planets
• New 'Discussion Boxes' to stimulate debate and thought about key questions in astrobiology
• New review and reflection questions for each chapter to aid learning
• New boxes describing the careers of astrobiologists and how they got into the subject
• Offers revised and updated information throughout to reflect the latest advances in the field

Written for students of life sciences, physics, astronomy and related disciplines, the updated edition of Astrobiology is an essential introductory text that includes recent advances to this dynamic field.

CHARLES S. COCKELL is Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.