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How did life originate? Is there life beyond Earth? What is the future of life on our planet? The rapidly growing multidisciplinary field of astrobiology deals with life's big questions. This text harnesses the authors' two decades' experience of teaching acclaimed courses in astrobiology, and adopts a novel quantitative approach towards this emergent discipline. It details the physical principles and chemical processes that have shaped the origins and distribution of molecules, stars, planets, and hence habitable environments, life, and intelligence in the Universe. By synthesising insights from domains as diverse as astronomy and physics to microbiology, biochemistry, and geology, the authors provide a cutting-edge summary of astrobiology, and show how answers to many fundamental questions are drawing closer than ever. Geared towards advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the physical sciences, the text contains more than 150 innovative problems designed to enhance students' knowledge and understanding.
‘From Stars to Life provides a thorough and wide-ranging insight into many processes in astrobiology, especially giving an introductory text to many quantitative aspects of the science, from the formation of stars to the major transitions in biological evolution. This book should be useful for advanced students and it provides a useful set of problems to help guide the reader.’
Charles Cockell - Professor of Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh
‘From Stars to Life is an outstanding book that introduces interested students and scholars in the highly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology, ranging from the beginning of the Universe to the formation of stars and planets, from the origin of life on Earth to potentially habitable worlds, and from the search for life on exoplanets to philosophical questions such as those related to Fermi’s paradox.’
Helmut Lammer - Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
‘Lingam & Balbi have accomplished a breakthrough in the teaching of astrobiology. They provide a comprehensive and quantitative guide taking a class from the astrophysical preliminaries of star and planet formation through their evolution and on to fully astrobiological topics such as habitability, the co-evolution of life and planets and on to in-depth discussions of biosignatures and even technosignatures. Authored by two accomplished researchers at the frontiers of the field From Stars and Life fills a critical gap in available textbooks. Written in a clear and accessible style with just the right balance of exposition and technical detail (as well as a rich set of beautifully rendered and informative figures) it can form the basis for all modern introductory classes in astrobiology. This book is destined to become a classic in the field that many future astrobiologists will cite as their first contact and inspiration in the discipline.’
Adam Frank - Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester
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