The life and death of planet Earth
Subtitle: how the new science of astrobiology charts the ultimate fate of our world
By: Peter D. Ward, Donald Brownlee.
Publisher: Times Books
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
Copyright date: 2002
Subjects: Science/Mathematics; Exobiology; Earth Sciences - Geology; Science; Astronomy - General; Earth Sciences - General; Science / Earth Sciences; End of the world; End of the world (Astronomy)
Description: Planet Earth is middle-aged. Science has worked hard to piece together the story of the evolution of our world up to this point, but only recently have we developed the understanding and the tools to describe the entire life cycle of a planet. Ward and Brownlee, a geologist and an astronomer respectively, combine their knowledge of how the critical sustaining systems of our planet evolve through time with their understanding of the life cycles of stars and solar systems, to tell the story of the second half of Earth's life. The process of evolution will essentially reverse itself: life as we know it will subside until only the simplest forms remain. Eventually, they too will disappear. The oceans will evaporate, the atmosphere will degrade, and, as the sun slowly expands, Earth itself will eventually meet a fiery end. --From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-226) and index.
Table of contents: title: Our blink of time; title: The wondrous machine; title: The life span of habitable planets; title: The return of the glaciers; title: The return of the supercontinent; title: The end of plant life; title: The end of animals; title: The loss of the oceans; title: Red giant; title: Accidental Armageddon; title: What trace will we leave?; title: The ends of worlds and the Drake Equation; title: The great escape; title: Epilogue.