Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of LifeHow did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of chemistry involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. The stars then ejected the organics and spread them all over the Milky Way Galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the early Earth inherited significant amounts of star dust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials? In this book, we describe stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science over the last 10 years that resulted in a new perspective on the origin of life. Other interesting topics discussed in this book
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Contents
| 1 | |
| 11 | |
Chapter 3 Impacts from Beyond | 25 |
Chapter 4 Descendants of Stars | 37 |
Chapter 5 Glowing in the Dark | 43 |
Chapter 6 Stardust in Our Eyes | 53 |
Chapter 7 The Oldest and Brightest | 63 |
Chapter 8 Neon Signs in the Sky | 71 |
Chapter 17 Bacteria in Space? | 153 |
Chapter 18 Comets Messengers from the Past | 165 |
Chapter 19 Where Do Oceans Come from? | 177 |
Chapter 20 Playing God with Primordial Soup | 183 |
Chapter 21 Stardust and Origin of Life | 189 |
Chapter 22 Our Place in the Universe | 201 |
Appendix A Scientific Notation | 215 |
Appendix B Units of Measurement | 217 |
Chapter 9 Stars as Molecular Factories | 81 |
Chapter 10 Smoke from Stellar Chimneys | 91 |
Chapter 11 Gems from Heaven | 107 |
Chapter 12 Diamonds in the Sky | 113 |
Chapter 13 A Mysterious Red Glow | 121 |
Chapter 14 A Celestial Origin for Oil? | 127 |
Chapter 15 Organics in Our Solar System | 137 |
Chapter 16 Stardust in Our Hands | 147 |