Science Books

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe

"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.

For more information about the title Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:


Note: This page refers to a book description provided by Amazon.com through its Associates Program. All text, images, and related information about this product are protected by applicable copyright law. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Recommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

| More

Search ScienceDaily

Number of stories in archives: 44,032

Find with keyword(s):
 
Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.
 

  more breaking science news

Social Networks


Recommend this page on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
| More

Science Video News


Lunar Eclipse

A total lunar eclipse was observed during the summer of 2007. A total lunar eclipse occurs when a full moon passes through the earth's shadow during. ...  > full story

Breaking News

... from NewsDaily.com

In Other News ...

Copyright Reuters 2008. See Restrictions.

Free Subscriptions

... from ScienceDaily

Get the latest science news with our free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

Feedback

... we want to hear from you!

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

 
Post this page to your favorite social bookmarking site:
close
Include this item in your blog or web site:
close
Email this page's link to a friend or colleague:
close