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Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

Download Ebook Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

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Amazon.com Review

"Do you feel lucky? Well do ya?" asked Dirty Harry. Paleontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee think all of us should feel lucky. Their rare Earth hypothesis predicts that while simple, microbial life will be very widespread in the universe, complex animal or plant life will be extremely rare. Ward and Brownlee admit that "It is very difficult to do statistics with an N of 1. But in our defense, we have staked out a position rarely articulated but increasingly accepted by many astrobiologists." Their new science is the field of biology ratcheted up to encompass not just life on Earth but also life beyond Earth. It forces us to reconsider the life of our planet as but a single example of how life might work, rather than as the only example. The revolution in astrobiology during the 1990s was twofold. First, scientists grew to appreciate how incredibly robust microbial life can be, found in the superheated water of deep-sea vents, pools of acid, or even within the crust of the Earth itself. The chance of finding such simple life on other bodies in our solar system has never seemed more realistic. But second, scientists have begun to appreciate how many unusual factors have cooperated to make Earth a congenial home for animal life: Jupiter's stable orbit, the presence of the Moon, plate tectonics, just the right amount of water, the right position in the right sort of galaxy. Ward and Brownlee make a convincing if depressing case for their hypothesis, undermining the principle of mediocrity (or, "Earth isn't all that special") that has ruled astronomy since Copernicus. --Mary Ellen Curtin

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From Library Journal

Renowned paleontologist Ward (Univ. of Washington), who has authored numerous books and articles, and Brownlee, a noted astronomer who has also researched extraterrestrial materials, combine their interests, research, and collaborative thoughts to present a startling new hypothesis: bacterial life forms may be in many galaxies, but complex life forms, like those that have evolved on Earth, are rare in the universe. Ward and Brownlee attribute Earth's evolutionary achievements to the following critical factors: our optimal distance from the sun, the positive effects of the moon's gravity on our climate, plate tectonics and continental drift, the right types of metals and elements, ample liquid water, maintainance of the correct amount of internal heat to keep surface temperatures within a habitable range, and a gaseous planet the size of Jupiter to shield Earth from catastrophic meteoric bombardment. Arguing that complex life is a rare event in the universe, this compelling book magnifies the significanceAand tragedyAof species extinction. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.AGloria Maxwell, Penn Valley Community Coll. Lib., Kansas City Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product details

Hardcover: 338 pages

Publisher: Copernicus; 2000 edition (January 14, 2000)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0387987010

ISBN-13: 978-0387987019

Product Dimensions:

6.5 x 1.5 x 9.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Average Customer Review:

4.4 out of 5 stars

183 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#362,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

I learned about this book watching the History Channel’s multi-part documentary about the creation of the Earth and the amazing journey it has been on ever since. The book covers the same story but in greater detail, with particular emphasis on the origin of life and the equally amazing journey it has been on, from basic microbial life to complex animal life to highly intelligent life capable of conscious thought—to homo sapiens, us. Are we really the stuff of stars, as Carl Sagan said? How do the most elementary particles—forged in the Big Bang—evolve over time to produce brain cells capable of rational thought, indeed, able to reflect on the creation of the universe? This question goes unaddressed in “Rare Earth” and is the 600-pound gorilla in the room. I don’t blame the authors. It’s a question with vast implications and well beyond the book's scope. Still, I couldn’t help thinking about it.The premise of “Rare Earth” is that microbial life is common throughout the universe while animal life is rare. How can this be? Because microbial life—life in its most basic form—is extremely hardy. It can withstand extreme temperatures (from below freezing to above the boiling point of water) incredibly high pressure, does not require oxygen, and in some cases does not require sunlight. The authors believe that microbial life may not have originated on earth, but been transferred here by comets or possibly by asteroids that originated on a neighboring planet, probably Mars. Animal life, on the other hand, is extremely fragile. It can only survive in an atmosphere of plentiful oxygen, lots of water, minimal planet disruptions, and Goldilocks’ temperatures—neither too hot nor too cold. Microbial life arrived not long after earth’s formation and early on survived countless planet disruptions that would have destroyed all forms of animal life.During the 600 million years it took to develop animal life, earth enjoyed a charmed existence. It was neither too close nor too far from a large stable sun, had a circular rather than elliptical orbit, was protected from astroids and comets by outer gas giants (notably Jupiter), and likewise protected from ultra-violate rays by a strong magnetic field, thanks to Earth’s largely iron core. During this time the oceans and the atmosphere were transformed by the introduction of oxygen. At the same time continents formed made of durable and relatively lightweight granite, which more or less floated on heavier molten rock. The floating continents, coupled with a few active volcanoes, helped regulate Earth’s temperatures and insured that the planet surface was continually being recycled. Add a generously large moon to regulate the tides, with the earth tilted on its axis just so to create seasons and further regulate temperatures, and the earth became a veritable garden of eden.Still, all was not perfect. Over time, there were a few well-placed catastrophic events that destroyed all but the smallest and most adaptable forms of life. The most recent was a large asteroid or comet that struck earth 65 million years ago that put an end to the age of dinosaurs. A good thing, too, because with dinosaurs around mammals didn’t stand a chance of evolving into larger creatures, such as goats, pigs, oxen, horses, elephants, monkeys and apes and, as late as 50 thousand years ago, homo sapiens. These catastrophic events, while rare, served as a reset button—an occasional re-shuffling of the order of life on earth—without which the appearance of thinking homo sapiens would not have been possible. There are many more dimensions to earth’s charmed existence, including its location on the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy, far from gamma ray explosions, with but a few non-threatening stars in the immediate galactic neighborhood, the presence of the right amount of carbon (neither too much nor too little), an iron rich planet composition, neither too much nor too little water, and eons of relatively uninterrupted time for life to emerge from the primordial ooze, develop into animal life and, with a few hiccups, produce life capable of rational thought.All of these things must happen in order for a planet to produce complex life—an amazing string of events threatened at every turn, yet somehow defying the odds to not merely survive but thrive. Indeed, what are the odds? Thirty years ago, Carl Sagan said there were as many as a million planets in our galaxy capable of producing life. We have learned a great deal since then, including our first observations of distant solar system and planets, none of which act much like our own. The authors conclude it's probable that microbial life is common throughout the universe while a stable and long-lasting environment necessary for the evolution of animal life may not be—hence the rarified and charmed existence of earth. Are we alone? While the odds have been significantly reduced since Sagan made his prediction, the jury is still out.About the book: it’s well organized, well-written and not at all hard to understand, if you don’t rush. To get the most out if it, careful reading is recommended. I spent about two hours a day for a week or so reading the book, learned a great deal, and enjoyed the experience. Five stars.

The theory posited in "Rare Earth" has extraordinary implications, so extraordinary that I ended up reading the book twice. Essentially, the authors, both scientists, contend that due to the unique manner in which the earth was formed and the distinctiveness of its composition, it may be one of a rare few planets, or perhaps the only planet, inhabited by intelligent animal life within our galaxy or even other galaxies.We know that every day new planets are being discovered and many of them exist in the habitable zone of their star. Some of these planets may, indeed, contain simple forms of life. However, according to the author/scientists, a planet requires a precise set of unique circumstances to allow for the long-term and varied evolution needed for the development of intelligent life. The reason for this conclusion are too numerous to explain in a review, but as the authors patiently explain the creation and formation of the Earth and the evolution of life on it, they make it very clear how unbelievably special the Earth is with respect to other planets and why conditions here are so rarely conducive to the steady evolution from single-celled organisms into intelligent life. If they are correct, and following their careful and detailed reasoning I believe their conclusions are logical, then one must appreciate the importance of protecting our unique, precious planet and wonder about the likelihood that we are the only significant form of life within hundreds of thousands [maybe millions] of light years.If religion does not create of sense of respect for the dignity of other humans and our planetary home, this book certainly will. For example, five thousand years ago we believed the Earth was at the center of the universe. Then we learned that we orbit an average star. We later discovered that we reside at the outer edge of a galaxy in a universe that is populated with countless billions of galaxies. But, it is now possible that we will once again see ourselves as occupying one of the most special places within the entire universe.The two authors are not the only scientists fostering this theory and I wish more was being written about it.

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Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe PDF

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe PDF