Books on Astrobiology
A selection of recent books which provide an introduction to the field
of astrobiology. Most of these are written for a popular audience, but
also include detailed notes and references to the more technical literature.
Andre Brack (editor) - The Molecular
Origins of Life, 1998, Cambridge University Press.
Includes chapters by leading experts on all aspects
of the study of the origin of life.
Paul Davies - The Fifth Miracle,
1998, Penguin Books.
A popular account of recent research on the
origin of life. (Review)
Christian de Duve - Vital
Dust, 1995, Basic Books.
An account of the origin of life, and the
entire history of the evolution of life up to the present. The author
is the winner of the 1974 Nobel prize for physiology and medicine.
(Review)
Armand Delsemme - Our Cosmic
Origins, 1998, Cambridge University Press.
Traces the story of the emergence of life and
intelligence through the complex evolutionary history of the universe.
Subtitled "From the big bang to the emergence of life and intelligence"
Stephen Dick - The Biological
Universe, 1996, Cambridge University Press.
A historical account of the development of
ideas on extraterrestrial life. (Review)
William Schopf - Cradle of Life,
1999,
Princeton University Press.
The story of the discovery of the Earth's earliest
fossils. (Review)
Robert Shapiro - Planetary Dreams,
1999, Wiley.
The quest to discover life beyond Earth.
Malcolm Walter - The Search for
Life on Mars, 1999, Allen & Unwin.
The author is an Australian geologist, and expert
on early life on Earth, and is currently working with NASA scientists to
determine where to look for fossil life on Mars.
Peter Ward & Donald Brownlee
- Rare Earth, 2000, Springer-Verlag.
Presents the controversial idea, that while microbial life may be
common in the universe, the emergence of complex life is rare and
dependent on a combination of very special factors that have occurred
in the case of Earth. (Review)
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