The Search for Life in the Universe (Third Edition) [Hardcover]

Donald Goldsmith (Author), Tobias Owen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1891389165 | ISBN-13: 978-1891389160 | Publication Date: August 1, 2001 | Edition: 3rd

Long recognized as the Gold Standard text for astrobiology courses, The Search for Life in the Universe now appears in a completely revised and updated Third Edition. This book engages students in astronomy by presenting a great, unsolved mystery: How likely is life beyond earth, and how can we find it if it exists? The text covers the fundamentals of astronomy and astrophysics, including the discovery of more than 55 planets around other stars, and also provides an overview of biology, geology, evolution, and the possibilities of interstellar travel and communication. Written for readers with no background in mathematics, the book includes 24 color insert pages and brilliantly rendered illustrations by Jon Lomberg.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A welcome and timely update of what has become a classic text. --Karen B. Kwitter, Williams College

Quite possibly the best astrobiology text available. --International Journal of Astrobiology

Teachers and students everywhere of wildly popular courses on life in the universe should rejoice to see this. --Frank Shu, University of California at Berkeley

About the Author

Donald Goldsmith was the science editor and co-writer of the PBS television series The Astronomers and the co-writer of NOVA's Is Anybody Out There? with Lily Tomlin. He has written and edited 15 books on astronomy, including The Runaway Universe, Worlds Unnumbered, Supernova!, and The Hunt for Life on Mars. Donald Goldsmith received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught astronomy courses there and at other institutions, including Stanford University, Cornell University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has received the lifetime achievement award in popularizing astronomy from the American Astronomical Society, the science writing award from the American Institute of Physics, and the Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts award for increasing public awareness of astronomy from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Tobias Owen ranks among the world's leading experts on the solar system. He was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his work on the Martian atmosphere with the Viking Landers in 1976 and led the group of Voyager scientists who discovered the rings of Jupiter in 1979. He is currently a member of scientific teams on the Galileo, Nozomi, CONTOUR, DS-1 and Cassini-Huygens missions. With David Morrison, he co-authored a college text, The Planetary System, and has written over 250 scientific and popular articles. He is professor of astronomy at the University of Hawaii where he studies planets, satellites, and comets with the giant telescopes on Mauna Kea.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 573 pages
• Publisher: University Science Books; 3rd edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891389165
• ISBN-13: 978-1891389160
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jack Kennedy, February 26, 2006

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Jack Kennedy Jr. "Jack Kennedy 276.275.4700" (Wise, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Search for Life in the Universe (Third Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is used as a text by the University of North Dakota Space Studies program where I was exposed to its content. It is an excellent book filled with the recent nuggets of information about the search for life in the universe. It is an excellent guide to understanding the cosmos in galatic and down-to-Earth terms. This book can be read for pure pleasure as well as for general knowledge of astrobilogy and astronomy.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for people interested in SETI ..., February 26, 2001

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Search for Life in the Universe (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

The book deals with everything from the formation of stars and planets, to how life formed, to even the best ways to search for life and the odds of life being on other planets. It goes step by step, is easy to understand and even has review questions at the end of each chapter (along with a summary). Lots of photos, some in color, along with figures and tables to help explain and give more details. Great for people who want to understand the reasons people are searching for life on other planets, but also great for just understand the science of life on our planet too. All that and humor too.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview, November 6, 2003

By 

Stefan Thiesen "Reality is that which, when y... (Selm, NRW Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Search for Life in the Universe (Third Edition) (Hardcover)

The new edition of this book still is by far the most comprehensive introduction to Bioastronomy, touching almost every branch of science along the exciting path it follows. Remaining firmly grounded in science it shows that reality is so fantastic that it is in no way necessary to fantasize up facts and fictions. Science still is one of the greatest adventures of mankind, and the search for life in space is one of its most stimulating branches. It also is a good motivation for young college students from other subjects to further their knowledge in science - which is necessary because we live in a science dominated world.

Stefan Thiesen www.bioastronomie.de