Books and Publications of Interest to Astrobiology
- Astrobiology: Current, Evolving and Emerging Perspectives
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Caister Academic Press
Publication Date: February 2020
ISBN: 978-1-912530-31-1
Link to article
| Astrobiology is a modern cross-disciplinary research field which studies the origin and development of life in the universe and includes the search for extinct and currently existing organisms outside our planet. As part of this on-going search, astrobiology successfully combines researchers and techniques from the fields of biology, geology, chemistry and planetary sciences.
This volume includes contributions from several leading astrobiologists across the globe, providing an overview of their respective fields and highlighting current and emerging topics. Topics of note include: overview of astrobiology, the origin of life, habitability, and future exploration; planetary protection and the application of molecular methodologies for analyzing potential microbial contaminants in space missions; organic matter and biosignatures in space missions; life in impact craters; microbial exploration of terrestrial analogue sites (of Mars and the of the icy moons of the outer solar system); insights from microbiological studies in low pressure environments and in the stratosphere.
Aimed at research scientists, advanced students and other professionals, this informative and up-to-date book is an invaluable review on current research in astrobiology and is an essential acquisition for anyone involved in this cross-disciplinary field. This contribution is particularly timely given the upcoming wave of space missions focused on astrobiology and targeting Mars and the icy moons of the outer solar system.
- Assembling Life: How Can Life Begin on Earth and Other Habitable Planets?
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Oxford University Press
Publication Date: February 2019
Book website
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- EXPOSE R-2 on the ISS: The BOSS and PSS Experiments Results
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Mary Ann Liebert
Publication Date: July 2019
ISSN: 1531-1074
Link to article
| This is a special collection with results from the EXPOSE R-2 experiments PSS and BOSS, in addition to the PPOSS white book about biological contamination prevention for icy moons.
Free access for the full special collection available through September 7, 2019.
- Special Collection: BIOMEX (BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment)
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Astrobiology
Publication Date: February 2019
ISSN: 1531-1074
Link to article
| Please see also the more recent paper by De la Torre et al. (2020): doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1959
- Biosignatures for Astrobiology
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Springer
Publication Date: 2019
ISBN 978-3-319-96175-0
Book website
| This book aims at providing a brief but broad overview of biosignatures. The topics addressed range from prebiotic signatures in extraterrestrial materials to the signatures characterising extant life as well as fossilised life, biosignatures related to space, and space flight instrumentation to detect biosignatures either in situ or from orbit. The book ends with philosophical reflections on the implications of life elsewhere. In the 15 chapters written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, it provides both detailed explanations on the nature of biosignatures as well as useful case studies showing how they are used and identified in ancient rocks, for example. One case study addresses the controversial finding of traces of fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. The book will be of interest not only to astrobiologists but also to terrestrial paleontologists as well as any reader interested in the prospects of finding a second example of life on another planet.
- Thermodynamic Inversion: Origin of Living Systems
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Springer International Publishing, Cham
Publication Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-53512-8
Link to article
| This book discusses the theory, general principles, and energy source conditions allowing for the emergence of life in planetary systems. The author examines the material conditions found in natural hydrothermal sites, the appropriate analogs of prebiotic environments on early Earth. He provides an overview of current laboratory experiments in prebiotic materials chemistry and substantiation of a new direction for the experiments in the origin of life field.
- Our Place in the Universe
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Springer
Publication Date: 2017
ISBN 978-3-319-54172-3
Book website
| This new book discusses the 3000 years of astronomical developments and
their effects on society, philosophy and religion.
- Astrobiology Special Collection: STARLIFE
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Astrobiology
Publication Date: February 2017
ISSN: 1531-1074
Link to article
| Special Collection: STARLIFE
Intercomparison Study of Astrobiological Model Systems in Their Response to Major Components of Galactic Cosmic Radiation
- Special Issue on AstRoMap
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Astrobiology
Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
Publication Date: March 2016
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1441
Link to article
|
- Astrobiology Primer 2.0
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Astrobiology
Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
Publication Date: August 2016
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1460
Link to article
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- Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions
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The National Academies Press
Publication Date: September 2015
ISBN: 978-0-309-37904-5
76 pages, Paperback
Link to free download
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Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth. The protection of high-priority science goals, the search for life and the understanding of the Martian organic environment may be compromised if Earth microbes carried by spacecraft are grown and spread on Mars. This has led to the definition of Special Regions on Mars where strict planetary protection measures have to be applied before a spacecraft can enter these areas.
At NASA's request, the community-based Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) established the Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2) in October 2013 to examine the quantitative definition of a Special Region and proposed modifications to it, as necessary, based upon the latest scientific results. Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions reviews the conclusions and recommendations contained in MEPAG's SR-SAG2 report and assesses their consistency with current understanding of both the Martian environment and the physical and chemical limits for the survival and propagation of microbial and other life on Earth. This report provides recommendations for an update of the planetary protection requirements for Mars Special Regions.
- Generation and Applications of Extra-Terrestrial Environments on Earth
This book has been prepared under the auspice of the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA). The main task of ELGRA is to foster the scientific community in Europe and beyond in conducting gravity and space-related research.
- Microbial Evolution under Extreme Conditions
- International Journal of Astrobiology Special Issue on EXPOSE-R
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International Journal of Astrobiology, Volume 14(1), Pages 1-142 (January 2015), Cambridge Journals
Edited by Gerda Horneck and Corinna Panitz
Link to Special Issue
All articles of this special issue can be downloaded for free.
Read also the related Cambridge Journals Blog entry by Gerda Horneck.
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- Comets and their Origin
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Uwe Meierhenrich
Wiley
Publication Date: December 2014
ISBN: 978-3-527-41281-5
352 pages
More information
|
Divided into two parts, the first four chapters of Comets and their Origin refer to comets and their formation in general, describing cometary missions, comet remote observations, astrochemistry, artificial comets, and the chirality phenomenon. The second part covers the cometary ROSETTA mission, its launch, journey, scientific objectives, and instrumentations, as well as the landing scenario on a cometary nucleus. Along the way, the author presents general questions concerning the origin of terrestrial water and the molecular beginnings of life on Earth, as well as how the instruments used on a space mission like ROSETTA can help answer them. The text concludes with a chapter on what scientists expect from the ROSETTA mission and how its data will influence our life on Earth.
As a result, the author elucidates highly topical and fascinating knowledge to scientists and students of various scientific backgrounds, allowing them to work with ROSETTA's data.
- Special Collection of Papers from EANA 2013: The 13th European Workshop on Astrobiology
- Astrobiology: An Evolutionary Approach
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Paperback: 504 pages
Publisher: CRC Press (October 9, 2014)
Language: English
Edited by Vera Kolb
ISBN-10: 1466584610, ISBN-13: 978-1466584617
Link to Flyer
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- PSS Special Issue: Planetary evolution and life
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Planetary and Space Science, Volume 98, Pages 1-268 (August 2014), Elsevier
Edited by Tilman Spohn, Veronique Dehant, Lee Grenfell, Ernst Hauber, Helmut Lammer, Frank Sohl and Frances Westall
Link to Special Issue
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- Astrochemistry and Astrobiology
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Series: Physical Chemistry in Action
Smith, Ian W. M.; Cockell, Charles S.; Leach, Sydney (Eds.)
2013, IX, 349 p. 79 illus., 55 illus. in color.
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- Habitability of Other Planets and Satellites
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Series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, Vol. 28
J.-P. de Vera, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany; J. Seckbach, The Hebrew
Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (Eds.)
Springer
Download: pdf-flyer.
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- Space research in Horizon 2020
A recommendation of the FP7 Space Advisory Group of the European Commission,
Brussels, 12 December 2012, European Commission
Download:
pdf-version.
- Planets and Life
Tilman Spohn
Spatium, October 2012, Volume 30: Planets and Life
Download:
pdf-version.
- SpringerBriefs in Astronomy booklet
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons as Plausible Prebiotic Membrane Components
- Presentations given at the 11th
European Workshop on Astrobiology EANA’11 at Cologne, Germany
are now published in Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
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Special Issue: Papers from the 11th European Workshop on Astrobiology
“Planets and Life - Evolution and Distribution”,
11–14 July 2011, Köln, Germany;
Guest editors:
Gerda Horneck and Ralf Moeller
Volume 42, Numbers 2–3, June 2012
Latest Impact factor is 2.660
See link:
http://link.springer.com/journal/11084/42/2/page/1
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- EXPOSE-E Mission on the International Space Station
Exciting Results Are First Reported in Special Issue of Astrobiology Journal
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Editor-in-Chief: Sherry L. Cady, Ph.D.
Current Volume: 12
Latest Impact Factor* is 2.362
ISSN: 1531-1074 • Published Monthly • Online ISSN: 1557-8070
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EXPOSE-E has been the first of three long-duration space missions
provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) within the European Program
of Life and Physical Science in Space (ELIPS) for long-term astrobiology
studies onboard the International Space Station. As part of the European
Technology Exposure Facility, EXPOSE-E was launched together with ESA’s
Columbus laboratory and mounted in open space onto the external balcony
of the Columbus laboratory for 1.5 years. It accommodated a variety of
chemical and biological test systems that were exposed to selected
parameters of the space environment in the following experiments:
- Photochemical organic chemistry relevant to comets, meteorites,
Mars and Titan (Team leader: Hervé Cottin, UMR CNRS, France)
- Molecular adaptation strategies of microorganisms to different
space and planetary UV climate conditions (Team leader: Petra Rettberg, DLR, Germany)
- Resistance of spacecraft isolates to outer space for planetary
protection purposes (Team leader: Gerda Horneck, DLR, Germany);
- Resistance of lichens and lithic fungi at space conditions (Team
leader: Silvano Onofri, University of Tuscia, Italy)
- Plant seed as a terrestrial model for a Panspermia vehicle and
as a source of universal UV screens (Team leader: D. Tepfer, Institut
National de la Recherche Agronomique, France)
Information on the radiation field around EXPOSE-E was provided by 3
experiments (Team leaders: Günther Reitz, DLR, Germany; Donat-P. Häder,
Germany; Tvsetan Dachev, SSTRI-BAS Bulgaria). The EXPOSE-E hardware was
built by the industrial prime contractor Kayser-Threde GmbH, München,
Germany. EXPOSE-E ground operations were supported by the Facility
Support Center MUSC at DLR, Köln, Germany.
“The results from the EXPOSE-E mission’s astrobiology experiments are
exciting in that they test life’s capacity to survive the harsh
environment of outer space,” says Sherry L. Cady, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
of Astrobiology and Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland
State University. “The EXPOSE-E science will undoubtedly serve as a
benchmark for all future low-Earth orbit investigations. These kinds of
activities are critical to the success of future missions for Solar
System exploration.”
These results from EXPOSE-E are first presented in a special issue of
Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
(www.liebertpub.com).
The issue is available free online at
www.liebertpub.com/ast.
- Asztrobiológia
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Kereszturi Akos
Asztrobiológia
Magyar Csillagászati Egyesület
ISBN 978-963-87597-3-3
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The first book on Astrobiology in Hungarian
- Origins of Life: The Primal Self-Organization
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R. Egel, D.-H. Lankenau, A.Y. Mulkidjanian,
Origins of Life: The Primal Self-Organization
Springer, Publisher
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Internet access to the book and chapter download-statistics is via:
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/evolutionary+%26+developmental+biology/book/978-3-642-21624-4
- From Dying Stars to the Birth of Life
The rise of computers and rocket science in the last half of the 20th
century allowed scientists to make two amazing discoveries that
indicated life may be widespread throughout our universe.
In the 1970s, life scientists started finding small bacterial-like
creatures living on our planet in extreme hostile environments that
everyone believed should instantly kill any living things. Some of these
life-forms lived in hot or boiling water that was extremely salty,
acidic, or alkaline. A few made their homes inside icebergs, while
others lived inside rocks located miles below ground, or even on the
power rods of nuclear power plants.
-
The editor in chief of OLEB, Alan Schwartz,
draws your attention to the fact, that the following link to OLEB shows accepted manuscripts:
www.springerlink.com/content/102974/?Content+Status=Accepted
A number of those shown are freely available, including a short
editorial comment on the recent arsenic DNA issue.
- Water in the Universe
Due to its specific chemical and physical properties, water is
essential for life on Earth. And it is assumed that this would be
the case for extraterrestrial life as well. Therefore it is
important to investigate where water can be found in the Universe.
Although there are places that are completely dry, places where the
last rainfall happened probably several 100 million years ago,
surprisingly this substance is quite omnipresent. In the outer solar
system the large satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are covered by a
thick layer of ice that could be hiding a liquid ocean below. This
of course brings up the question of whether the recently detected
extrasolar planets could have some water on their surfaces and how
we can detect this. Water molecules are also found in interstellar
gas and dust clouds. This book begins with an introductory chapter
reviewing the physical and chemical properties of water. Then it
illuminates the apparent connection between water and life. This is
followed by chapters dealing with our current knowledge of water in
the solar system, followed by a discussion concerning the potential
presence and possible detection of water on exoplanets. The
signature of water in interstellar space and stars are reviewed
before the origin of water in the Universe is finally discussed. The
book ends with an appendix on detection methods, satellite missions
and astrophysical concepts touched upon in the main parts of the
book. The search for water in the Universe is related to the search
for extraterrestrial life and is of fundamental importance for
astrophysics, astrobiology and other related topics. This book
therefore addresses students and researchers in these fields.
- Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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SETI Past, Present, and Future
Series:
The Frontiers Collection
Shuch, H. Paul
Jointly published with Praxis Publishing, UK
1st Edition., 2011, XXI, 320 p. 10 illus., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-642-13195-0
|
This book is a collection of essays written by the very scientists
and engineers who have led, and continue to lead, the scientific
quest known as SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Divided into three parts, the first section, ‘The Spirit of SETI
Past’, written by the surviving pioneers of this then emerging
discipline, reviews the major projects undertaken during the first
50 years of SETI science and the results of that research.
In the second section, ‘The Spirit of SETI Present’, the
present-day science and technology is discussed in detail, providing
the technical background to contemporary SETI instruments,
experiments, and analytical techniques, including the processing of
the received signals to extract potential alien communications.
In the third and final section, ‘The Spirit of SETI Future’, the
book looks ahead to the possible directions that SETI will take in
the next 50 years, addressing such important topics as interstellar
message construction, the risks and assumptions of interstellar
communications, when we might make contact, what aliens might look
like and what is likely to happen in the aftermath of such a
contact.
- Cosmic Heritage
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Evolution from the Big Bang to Conscious Life
Shaver, Peter
1st Edition., 2011, 240 p., Softcover
ISBN: 978-3-642-20260-5
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Offers a popular account of the big questions of life and modern
science
- Explains in an accessible way our understanding of the origin and
evolution of the universe, the formation and evolution of life, why
we die and what we know about consciousness
- Begins with the Early Universe, zooms in on life, evolution
and consciousness on Earth, and finally zooms out into the distant
future
- Discusses the possibility of life elsewhere in the
Universe
This book follows the evolutionary trail all the way from the Big
Bang 13.7 billion years ago to conscious life today. It is an
accessible introductory book written for the interested layperson –
anyone interesting in the ‘big picture’ coming from modern science.
It covers a wide range of topics including the origin and evolution
of our universe, the nature and origin of life, the evolution of
life including questions of birth and death, the evolution of
cognition, the nature of consciousness, the possibility of
extraterrestrial life and the future of the universe. The book is
written in a narrative style, as these topics are all parts of a
single story. It concludes with a discussion on the nature and
future of science.
“Peter Shaver has written engagingly for anyone curious about the
world we inhabit. If you'd like to know how the Universe began,
where the chemical elements originated, how life may have started on
Earth, how man, ants and bacteria are related to each other, or why
we humans think, you will enjoy this panoramic book and its clear
presentation” – Martin Harwit, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy,
Cornell University, NY, and former Director of the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum, Washington.
"Who is not interested in the big questions "How did it all start?
Where do we come from? Where do we go? Are we alone?" This book
addresses theses questions in an entertaining way based on our
knowledge of modern science. It opens our horizons towards
understanding the history of the universe and the origin and
evolution of life in the context of cosmic evolution." Dr. Gerda
Horneck, DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace
Medicine, Cologne, Germany.
"A very elegant, open-minded book that opens the door for informed
discussion of the continuity of evolutionary processes from the big
bang to the emergence of the mind... stimulating and highly
engaging reading" – Ryszard Maleszka, Professor of Molecular
Genetics, Australian National University, Canberra.
"Peter Shaver has produced a remarkable book. He covers an immense
range, offering a splendid overview of the intricate processes that
connect us to the universe, and which allowed complex life to emerge
from simple beginnings" – Martin Rees, Master of Trinity College,
Cambridge and Astronomer Royal.
“Where did the universe come from? What is life and how did it
begin? How did complex life-forms evolve? How did consciousness
arise? Are we alone in the universe? Questions don't get any bigger
than these. In this beautifully concise account, astrophysicist
Peter Shaver asks these questions and more and assesses how far
modern science has come to providing answers. Anyone who has ever
wondered who we are and where we came from should read this book” –
Stephen Simpson, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of
Sydney.
“This is a well written, marvellous book for a very broad audience
which covers much of current scientific thought in a concise way.
The author successfully shows how many of the great philosophical
issues that have fascinated humanity for centuries from the origin
of the world, the evolution of life to the nature of consciousness
are gradually being shifted from the domain of philosophy or
speculation to that of rigorous science.” – Lodewijk Woltjer, former
Director General of the European Southern Observatory and former
President of the International Astronomical Union.
- The Wondrous Universe - Creation without Creator?
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Series: Astronomers' Universe
Börner, Gerhard
1st Edition., 2011, 170 p. 63 illus., 13 in color., Softcover
ISBN: 978-3-642-20103-5
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The world as it is viewed from modern physics and cosmology has many
strange and unexpected features. Often these are in stark contrast
with our everyday experience or our preconceptions, such as the
concept of space and time as finite and changeable. Nevertheless it
is this strange world which is the fundamental basis of our
existence. Therefore modern science also has a few things to say
about the age-old questions: Who are we? – Where do we come from? –
Where are we going?
The author, an experienced scientist and teacher, presents the
knowledge that we have about our world for non-experts. He takes us
on a journey through cosmology and the quantum world of elementary
particles. And he sketches the impact of the insights gained into
philosophical assumptions and religious beliefs in these
disciplines. In the end he asks the speculative question whether
there is something beyond the limits of the natural
sciences.
Gerhard Börner is a Professor of Physics at the Ludwig Maximilians
University in Munich and conducts research on the early universe and
dark matter at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching
near Munich. He received his PhD for a thesis on particle physics
under the supervision of Werner Heisenberg and Hans-Peter Dürr.
Professor Börner is the author of the successful graduate textbook
"The Early Universe" (published by Springer and now in its 4th
edition), as well as of several popular science books on cosmology.
In 2009 he received the Chinese Academy of Sciences Award for
International Cooperation in Science and Technology (together with
Prof. Maurice-Roger Bonnet). In 2010 he received the "Friendship
Award," and in January 2011 the Chinese government’s National Award
for Cooperation in Science and Technology, the highest honor
bestowed on foreigners.
- Encyclopedia of Astrobiology
|
Editor-in-chief: Gargaud, Muriel
Amils, R.; Cernicharo, J.; Cleaves II, H.J.; Irvine, W.M.; Pinti,
D.; Viso, M. (Eds.)
Version: print (book)
1st Edition., 2011, 1816 p. In 3 volumes, not available separately., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online version:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-3-642-11271-3/#section=918164&page=1
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Constitutes The reference resource of the remarkably
interdisciplinary field Astrobiology
- Serves as the key to understanding technical terms from the
different areas of astrobiology: astronomy, biology, chemistry,
geosciences and space sciences
- Comprehensively treats the important topics from a global
perspective and each subfield
- Assembles and organizes the key citations to the literature for
this nascent but high-profile field
The interdisciplinary field of Astrobiology constitutes a joint
arena where provocative discoveries are coalescing concerning, e.g.
the prevalence of exoplanets, the diversity and hardiness of life,
and its increasingly likely chances for its emergence. Biologists,
astrophysicists, biochemists, geoscientists and space scientists
share this exciting mission of revealing the origin and commonality
of life in the Universe. The members of the different disciplines
are used to their own terminology and technical language. In the
interdisciplinary environment many terms either have redundant
meanings or are completely unfamiliar to members of other
disciplines.
The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology serves as the key to a common
understanding. Each new or experienced researcher and graduate
student in adjacent fields of astrobiology will appreciate this
reference work in the quest to understand the big picture. The
carefully selected group of active researchers contributing to this
work and the expert field editors intend for their contributions,
from an internationally comprehensive perspective, to accelerate the
interdisciplinary advance of astrobiology.
- "Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems"
|
Editor-in-chief: Oswalt, T.D
McLean, I.S.; Bond, H.E.; French, L.; Kalas, P.; Barstow, M.;
Gilmore, G.F.; Keel, W. (Eds.)
Version: print (book)
1st Edition., 2011, 4760 p. 2400 illus., 240 in color. In 6 volumes,
not available separately., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-90-481-8817-8
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- A six-volume compendium of modern astronomical research covering
subjects of key interest to the main fields of contemporary
astronomy and astrophysical cosmology
- Provides essential background and leads the reader to other
seminal literature on the topics it covers
- Serves lecturers and students as material for advanced courses
in astronomy
Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems is a compendium of modern
astronomical research covering subjects of key interest to the main
fields of contemporary astronomy. The six volumes of the set edited
by Terry Oswalt (Editor-in-Chief) comprise:
Volume 1: Telescopes and Instrumentation – Ian McLean (Ed.)
Volume 2: Astronomical Techniques and Standards – Howard Bond (Ed.)
Volume 3: Solar and Planetary Systems – Linda French, Paul Kalas (Eds.)
Volume 4: Solar/Stellar Structure and Evolution -- Martin Barstow (Ed.)
Volume 5: Stellar Systems and Galactic Structure -- Gerry Gilmore (Ed.)
Volume 6: Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology – Bill Keel (Ed.)
Each of the approximately 20 chapters per volume is written by a practicing
professional within the appropriate sub-discipline. They include
sufficient background material and references to the current
literature to allow one to learn enough about a specialty within
astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology to get started on a practical
research project. In the spirit of the series Stars and Stellar
Systems published by Chicago University Press in the 1960s and 1970s
each chapter of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems stands on its own
as a fundamental review of its respective sub-discipline and each
volume can be used as a text or recommended reference for advanced
undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Advanced students through
professional astronomers in their roles as both lecturers and
researchers will welcome Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems as
comprehensive and pedagogical reference to astronomy, astrophysics
and cosmology.
- Abstracts from the 9th European Workshop on Astrobiology
|
Abstracts from the 9th European Workshop on Astrobiology, Brussels, October 12–14, 2009,
are now published in
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, Special Issue
Guest editor: Gerda Horneck, Volume 40, 499-607, 2010, see link:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/m8rk16v58863/
|
- Origin of Life
Recent Contributions to a Scientific Model
Hernani L.S. Maria,Keith G. Orrell and Ildaa V.R. Dias
Is accessible free of charge on
http://www.archive.org/stream/OriginOfLife?ui=embed
- Toward a Global Space Exploration Program:
A Stepping Stone Approach, PEX report of the Committee On Space Research
(COSPAR)
Ehrenfreund P. et al. (2010)
available under: http://cosparhq.cnes.fr/PEX_Report2010_June22a.pdf
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Towards a European vision for space exploration: Recommendations of the space advisory group of
the European Commission
Horneck G., Coradini A., Haerendel G., Kallenrode M.-B., Kamoun P.,
Swings J- P., Tobias A., Tortora J.-J. (2010)
Space Policy, 26, 109-112, doi:10.1016/j.spacepol.2010
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Survival of lichens and bacteria exposed
to outer space conditions – Results of the Lithopanspermia experiments
|
de la Torre R., Le. G. Sancho, G. Horneck, A. de los Ríos, J. Wierzchos,
K. Olsson-Francis, C. S. Cockell, P. Rettberg, T. Berger, J,-P. P. de Vera,
S. Ott, J. Martinez Frías, P. G. Melendi, M. M. Lucas, M. Reina,
A. Pintado, René Demets, 2010,
Icarus, 208, 735-748.
doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.03.010
|
- Space microbiology
Horneck, G., D.M. Klaus, and R.L. Mancinelli (2010)
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 74, 121-156
For a copy contact gerda.horneck (at) dlr.de
- Habitability Primer, Special Issue of Astrobiology 2010
This issue acknowledges also EANA because many EANA related colleagues were involved and
the whole issue is available online as pdf via the link below.
It represents more or less the latest stage of Habitability knowledge on exoplanets, etc.
- The Fate of Amino Acids during Simulated Meteoritic Impact
|
Bertrand, M., van der Gaast, S., Vilas, F., Hörz, F., Haynes, G., Chabin, A., Brack, A., Westall, F.
Astrobiology. December 2009,
Vol. 9(10): 943-951.
|
Delivery of prebiotic molecules, such as amino acids and peptides, in meteoritic/micrometeoritic materials
to early Earth during the first 500 million years is considered to be one of the main processes by which
the building blocks of life arrived on Earth. In this context, we present a study in which the effects of
impact shock on amino acids and a peptide in artificial meteorites composed of saponite clay were investigated.
The samples were subjected to pressures ranging from 12–28.9GPa, which simulated impact velocities of 2.4–5.8km/s
for typical silicate-silicate impacts on Earth. Volatilization was determined by weight loss measurement, and the
amino acid and peptide response was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. For all compounds,
degradation increased with peak pressure. At the highest shock pressures, amino acids with an alkyl side chain
were more resistant than those with functional side chains. The peptide cleaved into its two primary amino acids.
Some chiral amino acids experienced partial racemization during the course of the experiment. Our data indicate
that impact shock may act as a selective filter to the delivery of extraterrestrial amino acids via carbonaceous chondrites.
-
Titan from Cassini-Huygens
|
Volume package: Cassini-Huygens
Brown, Robert; Lebreton, Jean Pierre; Waite, Hunter (Eds.)
2010, VIII, 535 p. With CD-ROM., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4020-9214-5
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This book reviews our current knowledge of Saturn's largest moon
Titan featuring the latest results obtained by the Cassini-Huygens
mission. A global author team addresses Titan’s origin and
evolution, internal structure, surface geology, the atmosphere and
ionosphere as well as magnetospheric interactions. The book closes
with an outlook beyond the Cassini-Huygens mission. Colorfully
illustrated, this book will serve as a reference to researchers as
well as an introduction for students.
- The Earth as a Distant Planet
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A Rosetta Stone for the Search of Earth-Like Worlds
Series: Astronomy and Astrophysics Library
Vázquez, M., Pallé, E., Montañés Rodríguez, P.
1st Edition., 2010, XV, 422 p. 272 illus., 181 in color., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4419-1683-9
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Is the Earth, in some way, special? Or is our planet but one of the
millions of other inhabited planets within our galaxy? This is an
exciting time to be asking this old question, because for the first
time in history, the answer is within reach. In The Earth as a
Distant Planet, the authors set themselves as external observers of
our Solar System from an astronomical distance.
From that perspective, the authors describe how the Earth, the third
planet in distance to the central star, can be catalogued as having
its own unique features and as capable of sustaining life. The
knowledge gained from this original perspective is then applied to
the ongoing search for planets outside the solar system, or
exoplanets.
Since the discovery in 1992 of the first exoplanet, the number of
known planets has increased exponentially. Ambitious space missions
are already being designed for the characterization of their
atmospheres and to explore the possibility that they host life. The
exploration of Earth and the rest of the rocky planets in our Solar
System will help us in classifying and understanding the
multiplicity of planetary systems that exist in our galaxy. In time,
statistics on the formation and evolution of exoplanets will be
available and will provide vital information for solving some of the
unanswered questions about the formation, as well as the evolution,
of our own world.
The authors provide an introductory but also very much up-to-date
referenced text, making this book useful not only for the layman,
but also for researchers and advanced students in Astrophysics and
Earth Sciences.
- Habitability and Cosmic Catastrophes
The solar system has a rather well-known history. Looking at the
present situation, one might get the impression that it was a rather
stable and well-defined system: the orbits of the planets appear to
be stable, climate and atmospheres on the planets have been
determined, the risk of collision with other bodies (comets,
asteroids, meteorites) seems to be small. However it is known today
that the evolution of life on Earth was neither a steady progression
nor uniform. There were several periods of mass extinction. These
catastrophic events played a crucial role in the rise of new
species. Events of astrophysical origin include:
- Asteroid impacts
- Major solar variabilty (space weather)
- Nearby supernovae
- The passage of the solar system through dense interstellar clouds
Catastrophic cosmic events of this type appear in the range of some
100 million years. The author discusses whether and how such events
could have occurred in the solar system as well as in recently found
extrasolar planetary systems.
In this text, which addresses readers in the field of Astrophysics
and Astrobiology but also Geophysics and Biology these cosmic
catastrophic events are described at an intermediate student's
level.
- Saturn from Cassini-Huygens
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Volume package: Cassini-Huygens
Dougherty, Michele; Esposito, Larry; Krimigis, Stamatios (Eds.)
2009, VIII, 805 p. With CD-ROM., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4020-9216-9
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This book reviews our current knowledge of Saturn featuring the
latest results obtained by the Cassini-Huygens mission. A global
author team addresses the planet’s origin and evolution, internal
structure, composition and chemistry, the atmosphere and ionosphere,
the magnetosphere, as well as its ring system. Furthermore, Saturn's
icy satellites are discussed. The book closes with an outlook beyond
the Cassini-Huygens mission. Colorfully illustrated, this book will
serve as a reference to researchers as well as an introduction for
students.
- Amino Acids and the Asymmetry of Life - Caught in the Act of Formation
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Uwe Meierhenrich
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-76885-2
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"How did life originate and why were left-handed molecules selected for its architecture?" This question of high public and interdisciplinary scientific interest is the central theme of this book. It is widely known that in processes triggering the origin of life on Earth, the equal occurrence, the parity between left-handed amino acids and their right-handed mirror images, was violated. The balance was inevitably tipped to the left - as a result of which life's proteins today exclusively implement the left form of amino acids.
Written in an engaging style, this book describes how the basic building blocks of life, the amino acids, formed. After a comprehensible introduction to stereochemistry, the author addresses the inherent property of amino acids in living organisms, namely the preference for left-handedness. What was the cause for the violation of parity of amino acids in the emergence of life on Earth? All the fascinating models proposed by physicists, chemists and biologist are vividly presented including the scientific conflicts. The author describes the attempt to verify any of those models with the chirality module of the ROSETTA mission, a probe built and launched with the mission to land on a comet and analyse whether there are chiral organic compounds that could have been brought to the Earth by cometary impacts.
A truly interdisciplinary astrobiology book, "Amino Acids and the Asymmetry of Life" will fascinate students, researchers and all readers with backgrounds in natural sciences.
With a foreword by Henri B. Kagan.
- Cold Aqueous Planetary Geochemistry with FREZCHEM
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From Modeling to the Search for Life at the Limits
Marion, Giles M., Kargel, Jeffey S
2008, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-75678-1
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This book explicitly investigates issues of astrobiological
relevance in the context of cold aqueous planetary geochemistry.
At the core of the technical chapters is the FREZCHEM model,
initially developed over many years by one of the authors to quantify aqueous
electrolyte properties and chemical thermodynamics at subzero temperatures. FREZCHEM, of
general relevance to biogeochemists and geochemical modelers, cold planetary scientists,
physicochemists and chemical engineers, is subsequently applied to the exploration
of biogeochemical applications to solar systems bodies in general, and to speculations
about the limits for life in cold environments in particular.
Written for: Researchers, scientists
- Life in the Universe
Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats -- the basic elements of
living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on
other worlds. This class-tested text examines each of these parameters
in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would
recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It
also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to
rely on carbon as basic chemical element, solar energy as a main energy
source, or water as primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting
bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from
Earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in
this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried
to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a
scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational
definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that
nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid
scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically
interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of
readers.
The second edition thoroughly updates this text in view of the rapid
progress in the field and a substantial amount of new material has been
added, in particular sections and chapters on adaptation to extreme
environments, the future and fate of living systems, life detection
concepts based on the thorough analysis of the Viking missions and the
issue around the meteorite ALH 84001, and - last but not least -
recommendations for the optimization of future space exploration
missions.
From the reviews of the first edition:
"[...] I know of no other book that reassesses the fundamentals of
astrobiology in such way. This book is a tacit lesson in open-mindedness
tempered with thorough scientific analysis. This is a very important
book for all professional astrobiologists."
A Ellery, International Journal of Astrobiology, 6 (2007) 182-183
- Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life
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Rauchfuss, Horst
2008, XXIV, 340 p. 163 illus., 12 in color., Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-78822-5
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Up to now, we do not have a generally accepted theory about the
origin of life and about the process of development of life, we only
have a great number of - to some extent even contradictory –
hypotheses. Meanwhile there came up some scientific findings beyond
thought only a few years ago.
Horst Rauchfuss is comparing the different theories from the view of
the latest results and is giving an exciting and easy understandable
insight into the present state of research.
- Life in the Universe: A Beginner's Guide
Lewis Dartnell, Oneworld Publication 2007
"This book is an excellent introduction into the newly emerging and exciting
field of astrobiology. The lively writing makes it a pleasure to read for
experts in the field and likewise it will encourage newcomers to learn more
about astrobiology, the fascinating story of life in its cosmic context."
Gerda Horneck, German Aerospace Centre DLR in Cologne, Germany
For more information:
http://www.astrobiologysociety.org
-
"Planets & Life: The Emerging Science of Astrobiology"
Woodruff Sullivan & John Baross (eds.). Cambridge Univ. Pr. (2007)
Twenty-eight chapters (650 pp) by experts on all aspects of astrobiology;
designed for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students in the
sciences, as well as professionals who want to learn the basics outside
their own field; also appropriate as a textbook for astrobiology courses.
For more information:
http://www.cambridge.org
- "Complete Course in Astrobiology"
Gerda Horneck (Editor), Petra Rettberg (Editor)
Wiley 2007
This up-to-date resource is based on lectures developed by experts in the relevant fields and
carefully edited by the leading astrobiologists within the European community. Aimed at graduate
students in physics, astronomy and biology and their lecturers, the text begins with a general
introduction to astrobiology, followed by sections on basic prebiotic chemistry, extremophiles,
and habitability in our solar system and beyond. A discussion of astrodynamics leads to a look
at experimental facilities and instrumentation for space experiments and, ultimately, astrobiology
missions, backed in each case by the latest research results from this fascinating field. Includes
a CD-ROM with additional course material.
For more information:
http://eu.wiley.com/
Book review:
http://www.astrobiologysociety.org
-
Response of organisms to the Martian Environment
ESA SP 1299, European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
"This is the final report of the ESA Topical Team ROME"
Cockell, C.S. and Horneck, G. (Scientific Editors) (2007) ROME
- Lectures in Astrobiology
Volume II
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Volume package Lectures in Astrobiology
Gargaud, Muriel; Martin, Hervé; Claeys, Philippe (Eds.)
2007, Hardcover,
ISBN: 978-3-540-33692-1
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Based on material delivered at several summer schools, this book is
the firstcomprehensive textbook at the graduate level encompassing all
aspects associated with the emerging field of astrobiology.
Volume II gathers another set of extensive lectures covering topics
so diverse as the formation and the distribution of elements in the universe, the
concept of habitability from both the planetologists' and the biologists' point of
view and artificial life. The contributions are held together by the common goal
to understand better the origin of life, its evolution and possible
existence outside the Earth's realm.
The volume ends with 120 pages of a very useful appendix comprising
"Some Astrophysical Reminders", "Useful Astrobiological Data" and "An
Astrobiological Glossary".
Written for: Advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, nonspecialist
and specialist researchers
For more information: http://www.springer.com/series/7565
- Looking for Life. Searching the Solar System
Clancy, P., Brack, A., and Horneck, G.
Cambridge University Press.
- In the series Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics of Springer, Heidelberg, the following books have been issued:
- Peter Ulmschneider: Intelligent Life in the Universe
- Radu Popa: Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life
- Dirk Schulze-Makuch und Louis N. Irwin: Life in the Universe
- Tetsuya Tokano (Editor): Water on Mars and Life
- More Information under: http://www.springer.com/series/5118
- The book Astrobiology, the Quest for the Conditions of Life
edited by Gerda Horneck und Christa Baumstark-Khan, Springer Publisher.
- In German language: Telepolis Special, Wie Forscher und Raumfahrer Aliens aufspüren wollen
01/2005, Heise Zeitschriften Verlag, Heidelberg, www.telepolis.de.
- Lectures in Astrobiology
Volume I
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Volume package Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics
2005, Hardcover
Gargaud, M.; Barbier, B.; Martin, H.; Reisse, J. (Eds.)
ISBN: 978-3-540-22315-3
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This book is the first comprehensive textbook at the graduate level
encompassing all aspects that are associated with the emerging field of astrobiology.
Volume I gathers a first set of extensive lectures that cover a broad range of
topics, from the formation of solar system to the quest for the most primitive life
forms that have emerged on the Early Earth.
Written for: Advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, nonspecialist
and specialist researchers
For more information: http://www.springer.com/series/5282
- Micrometeorites and the Mysteries of Our Origins
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Maurette, M.
2006, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-25816-2
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Micrometeorites played an essential role in the formation of the
atmosphere of the Early Earth and also served as a significant source of activation
for organic prebiotic chemistry on mineral surfaces. The present book gives a
coherent account of this scenario, embedding the more specific results within a
broader framework that considers the creation and evolution of the Early Earth. It
thus addresses students and nonspecialist researchers in the fields of planetary
atmospheres, biogeophysics and astrobiology. The experienced researcher will find
this volume to be a modern and compact reference, as well as a source of material for
lectures in this field.
Written for: Students, specialist and nonspecialist researchers
- Between Necessity and Probability
Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life
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Popa, Radu
2004, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-20490-9
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This study investigates the major theories of the origins of life in the light of
modern research with the aim of distinguishing between the necessary and the
optional and between deterministic and random influences in the emergence of what we
call 'life'. Life is treated as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving
force should be viewed independently from its Earth-bound natural history. The
author synthesizes all the fundamental life-related developments in a
comprehensive scenario, and makes the argument that understanding life in its broadest
context requires a material-independent perspective that identifies its
essential fingerprints.
Written for: Specialist and nonspecialist researchers
- Life in the Universe
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Expectations and Constraints
Schulze-Makuch, Dirk, Irwin, Louis N.
1st ed 2004. 2nd printing, 2006, Softcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-30708-2
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Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats - the basic elements of living systems -
define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This study
examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life
forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It
also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon
as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as
the primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such
life forms is discussed, ranging from earth environments to deep space. While
speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the
authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a
scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of
life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this
very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make
this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of
readers.
Written for: Graduate students in the natural and life sciences
- Comets and the Origin and Evolution of Life
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Thomas, P.J.; Hicks, R.D.; Chyba, C.F.; McKay, C.P. (Eds.)
Originally published as a monograph
2nd ed., 2006, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-33086-8
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Nine years after the publication of Comets and the Origin and Evolution of Life, one
of the pioneering books in Astrobiology, this second edition revisits the role
comets may have played in the origins and evolution of life. Recent analyses of
Antarctic micrometeorites and ancient rocks in Australia and South Africa, the
continuing progress in discovering complex organic macromolecules in comets,
protostars and interstellar clouds, new insights into organic synthesis in comets,
and numerical simulations of comet impacts on the Earth and other members of the
solar system yield a spectacular wealth of new results.
This second edition is thus actually a new book. As the first edition it is intended
as a comprehensive review of current research, accessible to graduate students and
others new to the field. Each chapter was prepared by experts to give an overview of
an aspect of the field, and carefully revised by the editors for uniformity in style
and presentation.
Written for: Astronomers, geophysicists, biologists
- Water on Mars and Life
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Tokano, Tetsuya (Ed.)
2005, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-540-20624-8
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Growing evidence, based on observations from orbiters, landers and telescopes,
indicates that Mars may still have numerous hidden water reservoirs. Moreover, from
the point of view of habitability, Mars is a prime target for astrobiologists in
search of extant or extinct microbial life because we know that life exists in
earth's permafrost regions, such as parts of Siberia and the Antarctic, which are
the closest terrestrial analogues to Mars. Water on Mars and Life surveys recent
advances made in research into water on Mars together with its astrobiological
implications. This volume addresses not only scientists working in the field but
also nonspecialists and students in search of a high-level but accessible
introduction to this exciting field of research.
Written for: Graduate students, researchers
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