In this exciting new book, distinguished paleontologist Peter D. Ward and noted astronomer Donald Brownlee team up to present a fascinating synthesis of what is now known about the development of life on Earth and how this sheds light on possibilities for organic life forms elsewhere in the Universe. With their broad expertise and wonderful descriptive imagery, the authors provide a compelling argument, a splendid introduction to the emerging field of astrobiology, and a lively discussion of the remarkable findings that are currently being generated.

Review

"Do you feel lucky? Well do ya?" asked Dirty Harry. Palaeontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee think all of us should feel lucky. Their rare Earth hypothesis predicts that while simple, microbial life will be very widespread in the universe, complex animal or plant life will be extremely rare. Ward and Brownlee admit that "it is very difficult to do statistics with an N of 1. But in our defence, we have staked out a position rarely articulated but increasingly accepted by many astrobiologists."

Their new science is the field of biology ratcheted up to encompass not just life on earth but also life beyond earth. It forces us to reconsider the life of our planet as a single example of how life might work, rather than as the only example.

The revolution in astrobiology during the 1990s was twofold. First, scientists grew to appreciate how incredibly robust microbial life can be, found in the superheated water of deep-sea vents, pools of acid, or even within the crust of the Earth itself. The chance of finding such simple life on other bodies in our solar system has never seemed more realistic. But second, scientists have begun to appreciate how many unusual factors have co-operated to make earth a congenial home for animal life: Jupiter's stable orbit, the presence of the Moon, plate tectonics, just the right amount of water, the right position in the right sort of galaxy. Ward and Brownlee make a convincing if depressing case for their hypothesis, undermining the principle of mediocrity (or, "Earth isn't all that special") that has ruled astronomy since Copernicus. --Mary Ellen Curtin

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