This concise and highly illustrated textbook traces the evolution of the Cosmos from the Big Bang to the development of intelligent life on Earth, conveying clear science in an engaging narrative. By mapping the history of the Universe for introductory science and astrobiology courses for non-science majors, this book allows many of the most fascinating questions in science to be explored. What is the origin of the Universe? How do stars and planets form? How does life begin? How did intelligence arise? Are we alone in the Cosmos? Physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and geology are combined to create a chronicle of events in which the swirling vapors in the primordial cloud of the Universe evolved over billions of years into conscious life. Outlining, the latest discoveries in astrobiology, this textbook is suffused with the excitement of this fast-moving field. Instructor and student support is provided at www.cambridge.org/jastrow.
This concise and highly illustrated textbook traces the evolution of the Cosmos from the Big Bang to the development of intelligent life on Earth, conveying clear science in an engaging narrative. By mapping the history of the Universe for introductory science and astrobiology courses for non-science majors, this book allows many of the most fascinating questions in science to be explored. What is the origin of the Universe? How do stars and planets form? How does life begin? How did intelligence arise? Are we alone in the Cosmos? Physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and geology are combined to create a chronicle of events in which the swirling vapors in the primordial cloud of the Universe evolved over billions of years into conscious life. Outlining, the latest discoveries in astrobiology, this textbook is suffused with the excitement of this fast-moving field. Instructor and student support is provided at www.cambridge.org/jastrow.
Is life different from the non-living? If so, how? And how, in that case, does biology as the study of living things differ from other sciences? These questions are traced through an exploration of episodes in the history of biology and philosophy. The book begins with Aristotle, then moves on to Descartes, comparing his position with that of Harvey. In the eighteenth century the authors consider Buffon and Kant. In the nineteenth century the authors examine the Cuvier-Geoffroy debate, pre-Darwinian geology and natural theology, Darwin and the transition from Darwin to the revival of Mendelism. Two chapters deal with the evolutionary synthesis and such questions as the species problem, the reducibility or otherwise of biology to physics and chemistry, and the problem of biological explanation in terms of function and teleology. The final chapters reflect on the implications of the philosophy of biology for philosophy of science in general.
Is life different from the non-living? If so, how? And how, in that case, does biology as the study of living things differ from other sciences? These questions are traced through an exploration of episodes in the history of biology and philosophy. The book begins with Aristotle, then moves on to Descartes, comparing his position with that of Harvey. In the eighteenth century the authors consider Buffon and Kant. In the nineteenth century the authors examine the Cuvier-Geoffroy debate, pre-Darwinian geology and natural theology, Darwin and the transition from Darwin to the revival of Mendelism. Two chapters deal with the evolutionary synthesis and such questions as the species problem, the reducibility or otherwise of biology to physics and chemistry, and the problem of biological explanation in terms of function and teleology. The final chapters reflect on the implications of the philosophy of biology for philosophy of science in general.
Popular science at its best, this acclaimed classic work describes in stunning detail how cutting-edge discoveries in quantum physics and cosmology are helping to explain the origin and evolution of
This topical volume examines one of the leading problems in astronomy - how galaxies cluster in our Universe. This book, first published in 2000, describes gravitational theory, computer simulations and observations related to galaxy distribution functions. It embeds distribution functions in a broader astronomical context, including other exciting contemporary topics such as correlation functions, fractals, bound clusters, topology, percolation and minimal spanning trees. Key results are derived and the necessary gravitational physics provided to ensure the book is self-contained. Throughout the book, theory, computer simulation and observation are carefully interwoven and critically compared. The book also shows how future observations can test the theoretical models for the evolution of galaxy clustering at early times in our Universe. This clear and authoritative volume is written at a level suitable for graduate students, and will be of key interest to astronomers, cosmologists, p
This controversial book examines one of the most fundamental questions of modern cosmology: how much matter is there in the Universe? This issue affects theories of the origin and evolution of the Universe as well as its geometrical structure and ultimate fate. The authors discuss all the relevant cosmological and astrophysical evidence and come to the conclusion that the balance of arguments presently lies with a density of around twenty per cent of the critical density required for the Universe to ultimately recollapse. Because the arguments presented constitute a 'state-of-the-art' analysis of the observational and theoretical arguments surrounding the existence of dark matter, primordial nucleosynthesis, large-scale structure formation and the cosmic microwave background radiation, this study provides the reader with an indispensable introduction to the most exciting recent developments in modern cosmology. Written by two eminent cosmologists, this topical and provocative book will
Astrobiology involves the study of the origin and history of life on Earth, planets and moons where life may have arisen, and the search for extraterrestrial life. It combines the sciences of biology, chemistry, palaeontology, geology, planetary physics and astronomy. This textbook brings together world experts in each of these disciplines to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the field currently available. Topics cover the origin and evolution of life on Earth, the geological, physical and chemical conditions in which life might arise and the detection of extraterrestrial life on other planets and moons. The book also covers the history of our ideas on extraterrestrial life and the origin of life, as well as the ethical, philosophical and educational issues raised by astrobiology. Written to be accessible to students from diverse backgrounds, this text will be welcomed by advanced undergraduates and graduates who are taking astrobiology courses.
Translated from the Russian, this monograph is devoted to the main ideas and methods of the statistical theory of open systems. The six chapters address the evolution of entropy and entropy production
Stellar models are the very basic building blocks with which we build up our knowledge of the Universe. New numerical experiments are heralding a new level of sophistication in our ability to model, and understand, how stars work. This volume provides an overview and the most recent advances in modelling of stellar structure and evolution. Modelling of stars relies on our understanding of the detailed physical processes happening in stars, and the most recent observations of stars made by modern large telescopes and current high technologies. IAU Symposium 252 presents the most recent developments in five key areas, including: improvements of the physical ingredients of stellar models; the evolution of low and intermediate mass stars; the evolution of massive stars; close binary evolution; and stellar physics in the era of very large telescopes. This overview of stellar research is at a level suitable for research astronomers and graduate students.
A comprehensive and intriguing account of the evolution of arithmetic and geometry, trigonometry and algebra, explores the interconnections among mathematics, physics, and mathematical astronomy and p
This book introduces the reader to all the basic physical building blocks of climate needed to understand the present and past climate of Earth, the climates of Solar System planets, and the climates of extrasolar planets. These building blocks include thermodynamics, infrared radiative transfer, scattering, surface heat transfer and various processes governing the evolution of atmospheric composition. Nearly four hundred problems are supplied to help consolidate the reader's understanding, and to lead the reader towards original research on planetary climate. This textbook is invaluable for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in atmospheric science, Earth and planetary science, astrobiology, and physics. It also provides a superb reference text for researchers in these subjects, and is very suitable for academic researchers trained in physics or chemistry who wish to rapidly gain enough background to participate in the excitement of the new research opportunities ope
This concise textbook, designed specifically for a one-semester course in astrophysics, introduces astrophysical concepts to undergraduate science and engineering students with a background in college-level, calculus-based physics. The text is organized into five parts covering: stellar properties; stellar structure and evolution; the interstellar medium and star/planet formation; the Milky Way and other galaxies; and cosmology. Structured around short easily digestible chapters, instructors have flexibility to adjust their course's emphasis as it suits them. Exposition drawn from the author's decade of teaching his course guides students toward a basic but quantitative understanding, with 'quick questions' to spur practice in basic computations, together with more challenging multi-part exercises at the end of each chapter. Advanced concepts like the quantum nature of energy and radiation are developed as needed. The text's approach and level bridge the wide gap between introductory a
This concise textbook, designed specifically for a one-semester course in astrophysics, introduces astrophysical concepts to undergraduate science and engineering students with a background in college-level, calculus-based physics. The text is organized into five parts covering: stellar properties; stellar structure and evolution; the interstellar medium and star/planet formation; the Milky Way and other galaxies; and cosmology. Structured around short easily digestible chapters, instructors have flexibility to adjust their course's emphasis as it suits them. Exposition drawn from the author's decade of teaching his course guides students toward a basic but quantitative understanding, with 'quick questions' to spur practice in basic computations, together with more challenging multi-part exercises at the end of each chapter. Advanced concepts like the quantum nature of energy and radiation are developed as needed. The text's approach and level bridge the wide gap between introductory a
Concise and self-contained, this textbook gives a graduate-level introduction to the physical processes that shape planetary systems, covering all stages of planet formation. Writing for readers with undergraduate backgrounds in physics, astronomy, and planetary science, Armitage begins with a description of the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks, moves on to the formation of planetesimals, rocky, and giant planets, and concludes by describing the gravitational and gas dynamical evolution of planetary systems. He provides a self-contained account of the modern theory of planet formation and, for more advanced readers, carefully selected references to the research literature, noting areas where research is ongoing. The second edition has been thoroughly revised to include observational results from NASA's Kepler mission, ALMA observations and the JUNO mission to Jupiter, new theoretical ideas including pebble accretion, and an up-to-date understanding in areas such as disk
A clear understanding of the Earth's past evolution can provide the key to its possible future development. The Earth: Its Birth and Growth explores the evolution of the Earth over 4.6 billion years using basic reasoning and simple illustrations to help explain the underlying physical and chemical principles and major processes involved. Fully updated and revised, this rigorous but accessible second edition includes three completely new chapters. It incorporates exciting developments in isotope geology, placing results within a wider framework of Earth evolution and plate tectonics. Some background in physics and chemistry is assumed, but basic theories and processes are explained concisely in self-contained sections. Key research papers and review articles are fully referenced. This book is ideal as supplementary reading for undergraduate and graduate students in isotope geochemistry, geodynamics, plate tectonics and planetary science. It also provides an enjoyable overview of Earth's
Clusters of galaxies are the largest and most massive collapsed systems in the Universe, and as such they are valuable probes of cosmological structure and galaxy evolution. The advent of extensive galaxy surveys, large ground-based facilities, space-based missions such as HST, Chandra and XMM-Newton and detailed numerical simulations makes a particularly exciting time to be involved in this field. The review papers in this volume span a comprehensive range of research in this area, including theoretical expectations for the growth of structure, survey techniques to identify clusters, metal production and the intracluster medium, galaxy evolution in the cluster environment and group-cluster connections. With contributions from leading authorities in the field, this volume is appropriate both as an introduction to this topic for physics and astronomy graduate students, and as a reference source for professional research astronomers.
The author, a well-known astronomer himself, describes the evolution of astronomical ideas, touching only lightly on most of the instrumental developments. Richly illustrated, the book starts with the
With the advent of large, ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, it is now possible to study in detail stars outside our galaxy - in neighbouring galaxies in the so-called Local Group. The VIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics gathered leading experts from around the world to review this exciting area of research - extragalactic stellar astrophysics. This volume presents eight specially written articles based on the meeting, reviewing how the study of stars in nearby galaxies can be used to understand stellar and galactic structure and evolution in general. This book covers all aspects of extragalactic stellar astrophysics: stellar physics, stellar winds, stellar evolution, the use of photometric and spectroscopic techniques for studying extragalactic stars, stellar populations, chemical evolution, star formation histories and the calibration of the extragalactic distance scale. This volume provides graduate students and researchers with an invaluable introduction to
