“They deftly bring together findings from many disparate areas of science in a book that science buffs will find hard to put down.” —Publishers Weekly

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 our planet. Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee, a geologist and an astronomer respectively, are in the vanguard of the new field of astrobiology. Combining their knowledge of how the critical sustaining systems of our planet evolve through time with their understanding of how stars and solar systems grow and change throughout their own life cycles, the authors tell the story of the second half of Earth’s life. In this masterful melding of groundbreaking research and captivating, eloquent science writing, Ward and Brownlee provide a comprehensive portrait of Earth’s life cycle that allows us to understand and appreciate how the planet sustains itself today, and offers us a glimpse of our place in the cosmic order.

Sind wir vielleicht allein im Universum? Die Antworten uberraschen und fuhren den Leser auf eine faszinierende Reise von den vulkanischen Quellen des Ozeanbodens bis zum Jupiter-Mond.
..".ein stellares Beispiel praziser Ausdruckskraft." (American Scientist)"

The sweeping diversity of complex life on Earth, Ward and Brownlee argue, evolved out of an extraordinary set of physical conditions and chance events that would be extremely hard to duplicatea "a "though not impossible. Many planets throughout the vastness of the Universe may be teeming with microbial life, but advancement beyond this stage is very rare. Everyone with an interest in the possible extent of life in the Universe and the nature of life's evolution on our own planet will be fascinated by Rare Earth. .,."likely to cause a revolution in thinking..." The New York Times .,."[the book] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid..." Newsday (New York) .,."a sobering and valuable perspective..." Science .,."a startling new hypothesis..." Library Journal .,."Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee offer a powerful argument..." The Economist .,."provocative, significant, and sweeping..." Northwest Science & Technology .,."a stellar example of clear writing..." American Scientist