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What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled by the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and the indications of life on Mars and the Jovian moon Europa will be fascinated by Rare Earth, and its implications for those who look to the heavens for companionship. "...likely to cause a revolution in thinking..."
The New York Times


"...[the book] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid..."
Newsday (New York)


"...a sobering and valuable perspective..."
Science


"...a startling new hypothesis..."
Library Journal


"...Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee offer a powerful argument..."
The Economist
"...provocative, significant, and sweeping..."
Northwest Science & Technology


"...a stellar example of clear writing..."
American Scientist

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

Contents Preface to the Paperback Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Introduction: The Astrobiology Revolution and the Rare Earth Hypothesis

Dead Zones of the Universe

Rare Earth Factors 1 Why Life Might Be Widespread in the Universe

2 Habitable Zones of the Universe

3 Building a Habitable Earth

4 Life's First Appearance on Earth

5 How to Build Animals

6 Snowball Earth

7 The Enigma of the Cambrian Explosion

8 Mass Extinctions and the Rare Earth Hypothesis

9 The Surprising Importance of Plate Tectonics

10 The Moon, Jupiter, and Life on Earth

11 Testing the Rare Earth Hypotheses

12 Assessing the Odds

13 Messengers from the Stars References

Index