| FAINT ECHOES, DISTANT STARS The Science and Politics of Finding Life Beyond Earth Dr. Ben Bova New York: William Morrow, 2004 |
Rating: 4.5 High |
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| ISBN-13 978-0-380-97519-8 | ||||
| ISBN 0-380-97519-X | 335pp. | HC/GSI | $25.95 | |
| Acknowledgements | xv | |
| Prologue: Author to Reader | 1 | |
| SECTION I The Path to Astrobiology | ||
| 1: | Are We Alone? | 7 |
| 2: | Time and the Tide of Opinion | 19 |
| 3: | The Three Requirements of Life | 27 |
| 4: | The Extreme Road to Astrobiology | 33 |
| 5: | The Great Mindshift: Exobiology Becomes Astrobiology | 41 |
| SECTION II The Path to Life on Earth | ||
| 6: | The Birth of Our Solar System | 59 |
| 7: | The Birth of Our World | 68 |
| 8: | Nature's Enforcers | 78 |
| 9: | The Birth of Life | 87 |
| 10: | Opportunistic, Tenacious Life | 98 |
| 11: | Life's Impact on Planet Earth | 112 |
| SECTION III Life in the Solar System | ||
| 12: | A Model Planet Called Mars | 127 |
| 13: | Exploring Mars | 135 |
| 14: | Hotworlds and False Assumptions | 155 |
| 15: | The Realm of the Giants | 167 |
| 16: | The Realm of Ice | 190 |
| SECTION IV Life Beyond the Solar System | ||
| 17: | Extrasolar Planets: Good News and Bad News | 207 |
| 18: | The Heartbreak of SETI | 229 |
| 19: | UFOs, Abductions, and Ancient Astronauts | 255 |
| SECTION V Tomorrow | ||
| Epilogue: An Agenda for the Future | 271 | |
| Postscript: The Apocalypse to Come | 285 | |
| APPENDICES | ||
| Appendix 1: Units and Conversions | 289 | |
| Appendix 2: Refractors and Reflectors | 291 | |
| Appendix 3: Cosmic Abundances of the Elements | 293 | |
| Appendix 4: Acid and Alkaline: The pH Story | 294 | |
| Appendix 5: Major Planets of the Solar System | 295 | |
| Appendix 6: Radioactive Dating: Nature's Alchemy | 297 | |
| Appendix 7: DNA and RNA | 299 | |
| Appendix 8: Contamination: Sterilization and the Isolation Ward | 302 | |
| Appendix 9: Death's Calling Card | 304 | |
| Appendix 10: The Nitrogen Fix... and Israel | 306 | |
| Appendix 11: Charles Darwin | 308 | |
| Glossary | 311 | |
| References | 315 | |
| Index | 321 | |
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