Research: Key Astrobiology References

Textbooks

Planets & Life: The Emerging Science of Astrobiology
Woodruff Sullivan & John Baross (eds.). Cambridge Univ. Pr. (2007)
- 28 chapters by experts on all aspects of astrobiology; designed for sr/grad student science majors and professionals who want to learn the basics outside their own field (650 pp.)

Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Jonathan Lunine. Addison Wesley (2005)
- comprehensive and challenging textbook by a planetary scientist for jr-sr/grad student science majors (590 pp)

The Search for Life on Other Planets
Bruce Jakosky. Cambridge Univ. Pr. (1998)
- a planetary scientist’s nice treatment of astrobiology; in between a short textbook and a popular book; especially strong on planetary science (~340 pp. small format)

An Introduction to Astrobiology
Ian Gilmour & Mark A. Sephton (eds.). Cambridge U. Pr. (2004)
- introductory undergrad textbook (Open Univ.)

Life in the Universe (2nd ed.)
Jeffrey Bennett & Seth Shostak. Addison Wesley (2007)
- for introductory college courses for nonscience majors; stronger on the physical sciences than the biology

Life in the Universe Activities Manual (2nd ed.)
Edward Prather, Erika Offerdahl & Tim Slater. Addison-Wesley (2007)
- student activities to accompany the Bennett & Shostak text

The Search for Life in the Universe (3rd edition)
Donald Goldsmith & Tobias Owen. University Science (2002)
- for introductory college courses for nonscience majors; stronger on the physical sciences than the biology

Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World
Jonathan Lunine. Cambridge U. Pr. (1999)
- for beginning science students and motivated nonscience majors; Earth as a physical and biological system, with comparisons to other planets; excellent overview

Origins of Life on the Earth and in the Cosmos (2nd ed.)
Geoffrey Zubay. Harcourt (2000)
- tutorial approach to the biochemistry of how life works and its origin

The Universe and Life: Origins and Evolution
G. S. Kutter. Jones & Bartlett (1987)
- early comprehensive introductory text; half astronomy and half biology

The New Solar System (4th ed.)
J. Kelly Beatty et al. (eds.). Cambridge U. Pr. (1999)
- in-between a textbook and glossy book for science buffs; great illustrations; covers only the physical solar system

Biogenesis: Theories of Life's Origin
Noam Lahav. Oxford U. Pr. (1999)
- excellent tutorial approach

Planetary Sciences
Imke de Pater & Jack J. Lissauer. Cambridge U. Pr. (2001)
- thorough coverage for advanced undergrads in physical sciences

An Introduction to the Solar System
Neil McBride & Ian Gilmour (eds.). Cambridge U. Pr. (2003)
- introductory undergrad textbook (Open Univ.)

Popular Books

Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature
Eric Chaisson. Harvard U. Pr. (2000)
      - a synthesis of evolution of the Universe (cosmology) and the rise of life

Life on Other Worlds and How to Find It
Stuart Clark. Springer-Praxis (2000)

Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology
David Darling. Basic Books (2001)
      - well-written; includes personalities of researchers

The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia: An Alphabetical Reference to All
Life in the Universe
David Darling. Three Rivers (2001)

Life Evolving: Molecules, Mind, and Meaning
Christian deDuve. Oxford (2002)
      - Nobelist argues for the inevitability of the emergence of life

Life on Other Worlds: The 20th Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate
Steven J. Dick. Cambridge (2001)
      - shorter, popular version of the monograph listed below

The Emergence of Life on Earth: A Historical and Scientific Overview
Iris Fry. Rutgers U. Pr. (2000)
      - excellent overview of past and current ideas on origin of life

Astrobiology
Monica Grady. Smithsonian (2001)
      - nice, slim volume

Here be Dragons: The Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life
David Koerner & Simon Levay. Oxford (2000)

Sharing the Universe: Perspectives on Extraterrestrial Life
G. Seth Shostak. Berkeley Hills (1998)
      - well-written overview of SETI by leading researcher in the field

Rivers in Time: The Search for Clues to Earth's Mass Extinctions
Peter Ward. Columbia (2000)

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe
Peter Ward & Donald Brownlee. Copernicus (2000)
      - pioneering synthesis; astronomer and paleontologist argue that planets with conditions for life more complex than single cells are rare in the Universe

The Life and Death of Planet Earth: How the New Science of Astrobiology Charts the Ultimate Fate of Our World
Peter Ward & Donald Brownlee. Henry Holt (2003)
      - the probable future of the Earth and its life forms over the next several billion years

The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup
Christopher Wills & Jeffrey Bada. Perseus (2000)

Scholarly Publications

"Astrobiology: Exploring the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universe"
D. J. Des Marais and M. R. Walter. Annual Review of Ecological Systems (1999), Vol. 30, pp. 397-420.
      - comprehensive review article with 100 citations of technical articles

The Biological Universe: The Twentieth-Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science
Steven J. Dick. Cambridge (2000)
      - the definitive historical study of the development over the 20th c. of ideas (both scientific and more popular, e.g., UFO's) on extraterrestrial life, origin of life, exobiology, and astrobiology

Astrobiology: The Quest for the Conditions of Life
Gerda Horneck & Christa Baumstark-Khan (editors). Springer (2002)
      - most chapters (by separate authors) are an outgrowth of a workshop on astrobiology held in Germany; uneven coverage

Bioastronomy '99: A New Era in Bioastronomy
Guillermo Lemarchand & Karen Meech (editors). Astronomical Soc. Pacific (2000)
      - proceedings of a wide-ranging conference; strongest on the astronomy

"The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)"
J. Tarter. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2001), Vol. 39, pp. 511-48.

Journals

Astrobiology (2001- ). Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

International Journal of Astrobiology (2002- ). Cambridge Univ. Pr.