Intelligent Life in the Universe: Principles and Requirements Behind Its Emergence, 2nd Edition (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)

This book addresses all scientists and others interested in the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. In particular, the author scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution and the likely future of mankind. The first part of the book provides the necessary background information from space and life sciences, thus making the book also accessible to students and the scientifically educated public. In this second edition of Peter Ulmschneider's successful and highly interesting book the author is putting even stronger emphasis on the geological conditions and consequences of life's conquest of land as the pre-condition for the emergence of life with our type of technical intelligence. Table of Contents......Page 10 Part I: Planets......Page 15 1.1 The History of the Universe......Page 16 1.2 Molecular Clouds......Page 19 1.3 The Pre-Main Sequence Evolution of Stars......Page 21 1.4 The Post-Main Sequence Evolution of Stars......Page 24 1.5 Element Composition and Dating......Page 26 2.1 Accretion Disks and Planetesimal Formation......Page 32 2.2 Terrestrial Planets......Page 34 2.3 Jovian Planets and Kuiper Belt Objects......Page 37 2.4 The Migration of Jovian Planets......Page 38 2.5 The T-Tauri Stage......Page 39 2.6 Asteroids......Page 41 2.7 Comets......Page 44 2.8 Meteorites......Page 46 2.9 Early History of the Solar System......Page 47 3.1 Planetological History of the Early Earth......Page 52 3.2 Formation of the Moon......Page 53 3.3 Ocean-Vaporizing Impacts......Page 55 3.4 The End of the Heavy Bombardment......Page 57 3.5 The Environment on the Early Earth......Page 58 3.6 Seismology and the Earth's Interior Structure......Page 62 3.7 Volcanism and the Composition of Rocks......Page 65 3.8 The Earth's Core and Mantle......Page 69 3.9 The Earth's Magnetic Field and Sea-Floor Spreading......Page 71 3.10 Convection, Hot Spots and Plate Tectonics......Page 73 3.11 Mountain Building and the Evolution of Continents......Page 79 3.12 Plate Tectonics on Mars and Venus?......Page 84 4.1 The Recently Discovered Planets......Page 86 4.3 Indirect Search Methods......Page 89 4.4 Circumstellar Disks......Page 92 4.5 New Search Strategies......Page 93 5.1 Habitable Zones......Page 99 5.2 Planetary Mass and the Evaporation of the Atmosphere......Page 103 5.3 The Lifetimes of the Stars......Page 106 5.4 Tidal Effects on Planets......Page 107 5.5 The Increase in Solar Luminosity and the Continuously Habitable Zone......Page 109 5.6 Instabilities of the Planetary Atmosphere......Page 110 5.7 Axis Variations of the Planets......Page 115 5.8 Biogenic Effects on Planetary Atmospheres......Page 117 5.9 Proterozoic Glaciations and Snowball Earth......Page 119 5.11 The Drake Formula......Page 121 5.12 The Number of Habitable Planets......Page 123 Part II: Life......Page 126 6.1 What is Life?......Page 127 6.3 The Elements of Biochemistry......Page 128 6.4 Cells and Organelles......Page 137 6.5 Sequencing and the Classification of Organisms......Page 139 6.6 Geological Traces of Life......Page 145 6.7 The Stage for the Appearance of Life......Page 146 6.8 Abiotic Chemical Evolution and the Theories of How Life Formed......Page 153 7.1 Darwin's Theory......Page 158 7.2 The Development of Eukaryotes and Endosymbiosis......Page 160 7.3 Oxygen as an Environmental Catastrophe......Page 162 7.4 The Cell Nucleus and Mitosis......Page 163 7.5 Sexuality and Meiosis......Page 164 7.6 Genetic Evolution......Page 166 7.7 Multicellularity, the Formation of Organs, and Programmed Cell Death......Page 168 7.8 Problems of Life on Land......Page 171 7.9 The Great K/T Boundary Event......Page 182 7.10 The Tertiary and the Evolution of Mammals......Page 186 7.11 Primate Evolution......Page 187 7.12 DNA Hybridization......Page 196 7.13 Brain Evolution and Tool Use......Page 197 7.14 Stone Tool Culture......Page 199 7.15 Diet and Social Life......Page 201 7.16 The Logic of the Human Body Plan......Page 202 7.17 Evolution, Chance, and Information......Page 205 7.18 Cultural Evolution......Page 208 8.1 Life in the Solar System......Page 209 8.2 Europa's Ocean......Page 210 8.3 Life on Mars......Page 212 8.4 The Early Atmosphere of Mars......Page 218 8.5 Future Mars Missions......Page 220 8.6 Life Outside the Solar System......Page 222 8.7 UFOs......Page 224 Part III: Intelligence......Page 227 9.1 Predicting Mankind's Future......Page 228 9.2 Settlement of the Solar System......Page 229 9.3 Interstellar Travel......Page 243 9.4 Mastering the Biological World......Page 244 9.5 Androids and Miniaturization......Page 247 9.6 Connected Societies......Page 248 9.8 The Dangers for Mankind......Page 249 9.9 Survival Strategies......Page 259 10.1 Does Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life Exist?......Page 261 10.2 What is the Hypothetical Nature of the Extraterrestrials?......Page 263 10.3 The Drake Formula, the Number of Extraterrestrial Societies......Page 266 10.4 The Lifetime of an Extraterrestrial Civilization......Page 268 10.5 Distances to the Extraterrestrial Societies......Page 269 10.6 SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life......Page 271 10.7 The Fermi Paradox: Where are the Extraterrestrials?......Page 278 10.8 The Zoo Hypothesis......Page 282 References......Page 284 C......Page 301 H......Page 302 L......Page 303 R......Page 304 V......Page 305 Z......Page 306 B......Page 307 D......Page 308 G......Page 309 L......Page 310 O......Page 311 P......Page 312 S......Page 313 Z......Page 314 "This book addresses the possible origins, development and fate of intelligent life in the universe. The author presents a wide-ranging analysis of the type of knowledge that can be inferred about extraterrestrial intelligent societies from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution, and from the likely future of mankind. Providing extensive background information from astronomy, geology, chemistry and biology, the book will appeal to both the scientist and the general reader."--Jacket This book examines the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. It scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution and the likely future of mankind. There is emphasis on the geological conditions and consequences of life's conquest of land as the pre-condition for the emergence of life with our type of technical intelligence. Addresses the scientists and others interested in the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. This work scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution of mankind That I am mortal I know, and that my days are numbered, but when in my mind I follow the multiply entwined orbits of the stars, then my feet do no longer touch the Earth.