The Chemical Cosmos

Author: Steve Miller
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441984445
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
If you have ever wondered how we get from the awesome impersonality of the Big Bang universe to the point where living creatures can start to form, and evolve into beings like you, your friends and your family, wonder no more. Steve Miller provides us with a tour through the chemical evolution of the universe, from the formation of the first molecules all the way to the chemicals required for life to evolve. Using a simple Hydrogen molecule – known as H-three-plus - as a guide, he takes us on a journey that starts with the birth of the first stars, and how, in dying, they pour their hearts out into enriching the universe in which we live. Our molecular guide makes its first appearance at the source of the Chemical Cosmos, at a time when only three elements and a total of 11 molecules existed. From those simple beginnings, H-three-plus guides us down river on the violent currents of exploding stars, through the streams of the Interstellar Medium, and into the delta where new stars and planets form. We are finally left on the shores of the sea of life. Along the way, we meet the key characters who have shaped our understanding of the chemistry of the universe, such as Cambridge physicist J.J. Thomson and the Chicago chemist Takeshi Oka. And we are given an insider’s view of just how astronomers, making use of telescopes and Earth-orbiting satellites, have put together our modern view of the Chemical Cosmos.

The Cosmic-Chemical Bond

Author: D A Williams
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISBN: 1782626336
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Book Description
Introducing astrochemistry to a wide audience, this book describes how molecules formed in chemical reactions occur in a range of environments in interstellar and circumstellar space, from shortly after the Big Bang up to the present epoch. Stressing that chemistry in these environments needs to be driven, it helps identify these drivers and the various chemical networks that operate giving rise to signature molecules that enable the physics of the region to be better understood. The book emphasises, in a non-mathematical way, the chemistry of the Milky Way Galaxy and its planet-forming regions, describes how other galaxies may have rather different chemistries and shows how chemistry was important even in the Early Universe when most of the elements had yet to be formed. This book will appeal to anyone with a general interest in chemistry, from students to professional scientists working in interdisciplinary areas and non-scientists fascinated by the evolving and exciting story of chemistry in the cosmos.

Cosmic Chemistry

Author: John C Lennox
Publisher: Lion Books
ISBN: 0745981410
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
"In this accessible and engaging introduction, [John Lennox] guides us through the great debates about science and faith, and offers incisive assessments of the issues." Alister McGrath, Professor of Science and Religion, University of Oxford Is the rigorous pursuit of scientific knowledge really compatible with a sincere faith in God? Building on the arguments put forward in God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, Prof John Lennox examines afresh the plausibility of a Christian theistic worldview in the light of some of the latest developments in scientific understanding. Prof Lennox focuses on the areas of evolutionary theory, the origins of life and the universe, and the concepts of mind and consciousness to provide a detailed and compelling introduction to the science and religion debate. He also offers his own reasoning as to why he continues to be convinced by a Christian approach to explaining these phenomena. Robust in its reasoning, but respectful in tone, this book is vital reading for anyone exploring the relationship between science and God.

Life in the Cosmos

Author: Manasvi Lingam
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674987578
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1089

Book Description
A rigorous and scientific analysis of the myriad possibilities of life beyond our planet. ÒAre we alone in the universe?Ó This tantalizing question has captivated humanity over millennia, but seldom has it been approached rigorously. Today the search for signatures of extraterrestrial life and intelligence has become a rapidly advancing scientific endeavor. Missions to Mars, Europa, and Titan seek evidence of life. Laboratory experiments have made great strides in creating synthetic life, deepening our understanding of conditions that give rise to living entities. And on the horizon are sophisticated telescopes to detect and characterize exoplanets most likely to harbor life. Life in the Cosmos offers a thorough overview of the burgeoning field of astrobiology, including the salient methods and paradigms involved in the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence. Manasvi Lingam and Abraham Loeb tackle three areas of interest in hunting for life Òout thereÓ: first, the pathways by which life originates and evolves; second, planetary and stellar factors that affect the habitability of worlds, with an eye on the biomarkers that may reveal the presence of microbial life; and finally, the detection of technological signals that could be indicative of intelligence. Drawing on empirical data from observations and experiments, as well as the latest theoretical and computational developments, the authors make a compelling scientific case for the search for life beyond what we can currently see. Meticulous and comprehensive, Life in the Cosmos is a master class from top researchers in astrobiology, suggesting that the answer to our age-old question is closer than ever before.

Earth and Cosmos

Author: Robert S. Kandel
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 1483158039
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
Earth and Cosmos presents a comprehensive view of the many connections between the environment of Man on Earth and the environment of the Earth in the cosmos. Topics covered range from matter, radiation, and the basic forces of nature to Earth's relation to the universe, the galaxy, and the sun. The energy balance and global circulation of the atmosphere are also discussed, along with continents, oceans, and climate. This book is comprised of 13 chapters and begins with an overview of the environment of Man on Earth, with emphasis on the Earth's chemical composition and how it is related to both cosmic and terrestrial processes; the radiation environment at the Earth's surface and above; how the atmosphere interacts with both solar and terrestrial radiation; and climate. The following chapters explore matter, radiation, and the laws of nature in relation to the universe; how the terrestrial environment is related to the structure of the universe as a whole; how the composition of the solar system and the Earth reflects the history of the galaxy; and the stability of the Earth's environment. The origins of life on Earth and the impact of human activities on the planet are also considered. The last chapter speaks of the future of humanity, and notably of the problem of the population explosion and its consequences. This monograph will be of interest to students, astronomers, planetary scientists, astrophysicists, biologists, chemists, and geologists.

The Human Cosmos

Author: Jo Marchant
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593183045
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
A Best Book of 2020 (NPR) A Best Book of 2020 (The Economist) A Top Ten Best Science Book of 2020 (Smithsonian) A Best Science and Technology Book of 2020 (Library Journal) A Must-Read Book to Escape the Chaos of 2020 (Newsweek) Starred review (Booklist) Starred review (Publishers Weekly) A historically unprecedented disconnect between humanity and the heavens has opened. Jo Marchant's book can begin to heal it. For at least 20,000 years, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are—our art, religious beliefs, social status, scientific advances, and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. It's a disconnect with a dire cost. Our relationship to the stars and planets has moved from one of awe, wonder and superstition to one where technology is king—the cosmos is now explored through data on our screens, not by the naked eye observing the natural world. Indeed, in most countries, modern light pollution obscures much of the night sky from view. Jo Marchant's spellbinding parade of the ways different cultures celebrated the majesty and mysteries of the night sky is a journey to the most awe-inspiring view you can ever see: looking up on a clear dark night. That experience and the thoughts it has engendered have radically shaped human civilization across millennia. The cosmos is the source of our greatest creativity in art, in science, in life. To show us how, Jo Marchant takes us to the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux in France, and to the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at Newgrange, Ireland. We discover Chumash cosmology and visit medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. The cosmically liberating, summary revelation is that star-gazing made us human.

Cauldrons in the Cosmos

Author: Claus E. Rolfs
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226724573
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 579

Book Description
A reference source that addresses fundamental questions in the field of nuclear astrophysics.

Fitness of the Cosmos for Life

Author: John D. Barrow
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521871026
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 503

Book Description
An interdisciplinary book for scientists interested in the origin and existence of life in our universe, first published in 2007.

Origins of Life

Author: Geoffrey Zubay
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080497616
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 585

Book Description
Origins of Life on the Earth and in the Cosmos, Second Edition, suggests answers to the age-old questions of how life arose in the universe and how it might arise elsewhere. This thorough revision of a very successful text describes key events in the evolution of living systems, starting with the creation of an environment suitable for the origins of life. Whereas one may never be able to reconstruct the precise pathway that led to the origin of life on earth, one can certainly make some plausible reconstructions of it. Such discussions have greatly expanded our understanding of the principles of chemical evolution and how they compare and contrast with the principles of biological evolution. The text is strong on biochemistry and its recent applications to origins' research. - Provides an excellent review of basic biochemistry an evolution - Written in a clear, concise style for scientists, students, and readers interested in a scientific inquiry into the origins of life - Written by an authority in the field, and brought fully up-to-date in light of new research - Pulls together valuable information not found in a single source - Organized and presented in a manner conductive for use in a college course - Heavily illustrated to make difficult concepts concrete

Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030917113X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description
Advances made by physicists in understanding matter, space, and time and by astronomers in understanding the universe as a whole have closely intertwined the question being asked about the universe at its two extremesâ€"the very large and the very small. This report identifies 11 key questions that have a good chance to be answered in the next decade. It urges that a new research strategy be created that brings to bear the techniques of both astronomy and sub-atomic physics in a cross-disciplinary way to address these questions. The report presents seven recommendations to facilitate the necessary research and development coordination. These recommendations identify key priorities for future scientific projects critical for realizing these scientific opportunities.