The Cosmic Zoo Complex Life on Many Worlds
Are humans a galactic oddity, or will complex life with human abilities develop on planets with environments that remain habitable for long enough? In a clear, jargon-free style, two leading researchers in the burgeoning field of astrobiology critically e
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Complex Life on Many Worlds
The Cosmic Zoo
Dirk Schulze-Makuch • William Bains
The Cosmic Zoo Complex Life on Many Worlds
Dirk Schulze-Makuch Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ZAA) Technical University Berlin Berlin, Germany
William Bains Rufus Scientific Ltd. Melbourn, Royston United Kingdom
ISBN 978-3-319-62044-2 ISBN 978-3-319-62045-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-62045-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017951850 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
One of our most persistent questions is whether we are alone in the Universe. We now know that the sky is full of planets, but are they empty, sterile worlds, worlds harbouring only simple, primitive life, or is there a good chance that there are thinking, talking, machine-making creatures out there for us to talk to? Science is starting to provide the tools to answer that question. In this book, we will discuss what we know about the steps that lead from the origin of life on Earth to ourselves, using an approach that allows us to ask whether humanity is a galactic oddity, or whether complex, smart, and potentially technological beings are highly likely to evolve on an Earth-like planet in the 10 billion years available to it between the condensations of the oceans on the planet’s surface and their evaporation by the increasing radiation from the Sun. There are probably as many opinions on this subject as there are scientists. This book represents our synthesis of the facts and opinions and our explanation why we think complex life may be common. Here, we lay out how we understand the evolutionary pathway from the o
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