Astrobiology : the quest for the conditions of life / Gerda Horneck, Christa Baumstark-Khan, eds

Includes bibliographical references and index

From molecular clouds to the origins of life / Pascale Ehrenfreund and Karl M. Menten -- The diversity of extrasolar planets around solar-type stars / Ste??phane Udry and Michel Mayor -- Habitable zones in extrasolar planetary systems / Siegfried Franck [and others] -- Viable transfer of microorganisms in the solar system and beyond / Gerda Horneck [and others] -- Water, the spring of life / Andre?? Brack -- Geomorphological record of water-related erosion on Mars / Ralf Jaumann [and others] -- Europa's crust and ocean: how tides create a potentially habitable physical setting / Richard Greenberg [and others] -- Permafrost model of extraterrestrial habitat / David A. Gilichinsky -- Microbial life in terrestrial permafrost: methanogenesis and nitrification in gelisols as potentials for exobiological processes / Dirk Wagner [and others] -- Life in cold lakes / Erko Stackebrandt and Evelyne Brambilla -- Hyperthermophilic microorganisms / Karl O. Stetter -- Halophilic microorganisms / Hans Jo??rg Kunte, Hans G. Tru??per and Helga Stan-Lotter -- Martian atmospheric evolution: implications of an ancient intrinsic magnetic field / Helmut Lammer, Willibald Stumptner and Gregorio J. Molina-Cuberos -- The ultraviolet radiation environment of Earth and Mars: past and present / Charles S. Cockell -- Ultraviolet radiation in planetary atmospheres and biological implications / Petra Rettberg and Lynn J. Rothschild -- Environmental UV radiation: biological strategies for protection and avoidance / David D. Wynn-Williams and Howell G.M. Edwards -- Life under conditions of ionizing radiation / Christa Baumstark-Khan and Rainer Facius -- Graviperception and graviresponse at the cellular level / Richard Bra??ucker, Augusto Cogoli and Ruth Hemmersbach -- Gravistimulated effects in plants / Heide Schnabl -- Gravitational zoology: how animals use and cope with gravity / Ralf H. Anken and Hinrich Rahmann -- Scaling phenomena and the emergence of complexity in astrobiology / Juan Pe??rez-Mercader -- Molecular self-assembly and the origin of life / Wolfgang M. Heckl -- Search for morphological and biogeochemical vestiges of fossil life in extraterrestrial settings: utility of terrestrial evidence / Manfred Schidlowski -- Space activities in exo-astrobiology / Bernard H. Foing

How did life originate in the universe? How did it all start after the creation of matter and the formation of elements in the stars? What are the pathways from the first organic molecules in space to the evolution of complex life forms on Earth and perhaps elsewhere? And how will it all end? The Universe itself sets the stage for the very interdisciplinary field of astrobiology that attempts to answer such questions, the central one being: What is the (cosmic) recipe for life? Currently there are only very few known elements in this vast mosaic. This book bridges a gap in the literature by bringing together leading specialists from different backgrounds who lecture on their fields, with close relevance to astrobiology, providing tutorial accounts that lead all the way to the forefront of research. The book will thus be useful for students, lecturers and reseachers alike