Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of Life (Astronomers' Universe)

How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of a chemical reaction 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. At some point in their evolution, stars eject those 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 young Earth inherited significant amounts of stardust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials? In this book, the author describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science made over the last 10 years that have yielded a new perspective on the origin of life. Other interesting topics discussed in this book The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space The origin of oil Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space Smoke from the stars Stardust in our hands Where oceans come from The possibility of bacteria in space About the author Sun Kwok is a leading world authority on the subject of astrochemistry and stellar evolution. He is best known for his theory on the origin of planetary nebulae and the death of Sun-like stars. His most recent research has been on the synthesis of complex organic compounds in the late stages of stellar evolution. He is the author of a number of books, including Cosmic Butterflies: The Colorful Mysteries of Planetary Nebulae How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of a chemical reaction 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. At some point in their evolution, stars eject those 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 young Earth inherited significant amounts of stardust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials? In this book, the author describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science made over the last 10 years that have yielded a new perspective on the origin of life. Other interesting topics discussed in this book: The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space ; The origin of oil ; Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space ; Smoke from the stars ; Stardust in our hands ; Where oceans come from ; The possibility of bacteria in space. -- from back cover "How 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: The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space, The origin of oil, Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space, Smoke from stars, Star dust in our hands, Where oceans come from, Possibility of bacteria in space"--Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xxii Where Do We Come From?....Pages 1-9 Rocks and Dust in the Planetary Neighborhood....Pages 11-23 Impacts from Beyond....Pages 25-35 Descendants of Stars....Pages 37-42 Glowing in the Dark....Pages 43-52 Stardust in Our Eyes....Pages 53-61 The Oldest and Brightest....Pages 63-69 Neon Signs in the Sky....Pages 71-80 Stars as Molecular Factories....Pages 81-89 Smoke from Stellar Chimneys....Pages 91-105 Gems from Heaven....Pages 107-112 Diamonds in the Sky....Pages 113-120 A Mysterious Red Glow....Pages 121-126 A Celestial Origin for Oil?....Pages 127-135 Organics in Our Solar System....Pages 137-146 Stardust in Our Hands....Pages 147-152 Bacteria in Space?....Pages 153-163 Comets: Messengers from the Past....Pages 165-176 Where Do Oceans Come from?....Pages 177-181 Playing God with Primordial Soup....Pages 183-187 Stardust and Origin of Life....Pages 189-199 Our Place in the Universe....Pages 201-214 Back Matter....Pages 215-267 In accessible, informative language, this book describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science showing that complex organic compounds, formed in and ejected from old stars, could have played a central role in the origin of life on Earth.