TY - BOOK AU - Whittet,D.C.B. ED - Morgan & Claypool Publishers, ED - Institute of Physics (Great Britain), TI - Origins of life: a cosmic perspective T2 - [IOP release 4] SN - 9781681746760 AV - QH326 .W556 2017eb U1 - 576.8/39 23 PY - 2017///] CY - San Rafael [California] (40 Oak Drive, San Rafael, CA, 94903, USA) PB - Morgan & Claypool Publishers KW - Exobiology KW - Life KW - Origin KW - Astrophysics KW - bicssc KW - SCIENCE / Physics / Astrophysics KW - bisacsh N1 - "Version: 20171101"--Title page verso; "A Morgan & Claypool publication as part of IOP Concise Physics"--Title page verso; Includes bibliographical references; 1. Introduction -- 1.1. What is life? -- 1.2. Could life be silicon-based? -- 1.3. Time constraints -- 1.4. Scenarios for the origin of life on Earth -- 1.5. Searching for life beyond Earth; 2. Cosmic synthesis of the biologically important chemical elements -- 2.1. Elements essential to life -- 2.2. Origin of the elements -- 2.3. Distributing the products of nucleosynthesis; 3. Molecules in space : from interstellar clouds to protoplanetary disks -- 3.1. Chemistry in the interstellar medium -- 3.2. The rise of molecular complexity -- 3.3. Protostars and the chemical heritage of protoplanetary disks; 4. The origin and evolution of our solar system -- 4.1. The Sun's birth environment -- 4.2. The solar nebula and the origin of the planets -- 4.3. Time capsules from the early Solar System -- 4.4. The evolution of habitability; 5. The early Earth : forging an environment for life -- 5.1. The Earth-Moon system -- 5.2. Cosmic impacts -- 5.3. Emergence of the atmosphere and hydrosphere -- 5.4. Toward a prebiotic world; 6. The origin of terrestrial life : converging on a paradigm -- 6.1. Constructing life's framework -- 6.2. Tracing life's ancestry -- 6.3. The transition to life; 7. The search for life on Mars -- 7.1. Evolving conditions and habitability -- 7.2. Searching for biosignatures -- 7.3. Future prospects; 8. Icy worlds as potential hosts for life -- 8.1. The moons of Jupiter -- 8.2. Saturn and beyond -- 8.3. Prospects for life; 9. The search for life beyond our solar system -- 9.1. Exoplanetary systems : characteristics and habitability -- 9.2. The search for spectroscopic biosignatures -- 9.3. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) -- 9.4. What if we succeed?; Appropriate for mid- and upper-level undergraduates; beginning graduate students; researchers; and general readers with basic background knowledge; Also available in print N2 - 'Origins of Life: A Cosmic Perspective' presents an overview of the concepts, methods, and theories of astrobiology and origins of life research while presenting a summary of the latest findings. The book provides insight into the environments and processes that gave birth to life on our planet, which naturally informs our assessment of the probability that has arisen (or will arise) elsewhere. In addition, the book encourages readers to go beyond basic concepts, to explore topics in greater depth, and to engage in lively discussions UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/book/978-1-6817-4676-0 ER -