The New Science of Astrobiology

BOOK 1: Origin of Life in the Universe.- INTRODUCTION: What is astrobiology?.- 1. From cosmic to chemical evolution.- 2: From chemical to prebiotic evolution.- 3: Sources for life’s origins: A search for biogenic elements.- 4: From prebiotic evolution to single cells.- BOOK 2: Evolution of Life in the Universe.- 5: From the age of prokaryotes to the origin of eukaryotes.- 6: Eukaryogenesis and evolution of intelligent behavior.- BOOK 3: Distribution and Destiny of Life in the Universe.- 7: On the possibility of biological evolution on Mars.- 8: On the possibility of biological evolution on Europa.- 9: On the possibility of chemical evolution on Titan.- 10: How different would life be elsewhere?.- 11: The search for evolution of extraterrestrial intelligent behavior.- 12: Is the evolution of intelligent behavior universal?.- 13: Deeper implications of the search for extraterrestrial life.- 14: Philosophical implications of the search for extraterrestrial civilizations.- 15: Back to the beginning of astrobiology.- 16: Recapitulation.- Notes and References.- Supplementary Reading.- Indices.- Abbreviations.- Name Index.- About the Author.- Proceedings of related events in astrobiology co-edited by the author.