| Description |
1 online resource (340 p.) |
| Contents |
Intro -- New Frontiers in Astrobiology -- Copyright -- Contents -- Contributors -- Chapter 1: Standards of evidence in the search for extraterrestrial life -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Astrobiology is not only about life beyond Earth -- 3. Standards of evidence required in searching for life beyond Earth -- 3.1. Tier 1-One or more requirements for known life -- 3.2. Tier 2-All known requirements for at least one known organism -- 3.3. Tier 3-Indirect evidence for life -- 3.4. Tier 4-Direct discovery of life -- 3.5. Summary of evidence -- 4. Astrobiologists are not ̀̀hunting ́́for alien life |
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5. Hypotheses about extraterrestrial life are not a betting game -- 6. Good scientific hypotheses are falsifiable, but not all falsifiable hypotheses are good -- 7. Conclusion -- Postscript -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 2: Prebiotic chemistry: From dust to molecules and beyond -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The origins of key biomolecules -- 2.1. Central carbon metabolites -- 2.2. Sugars and nucleotides -- 2.3. Amino acids/peptides -- 2.4. Organosulfurs and lipids -- 2.5. Cofactors -- 2.6. Which prebiotic routes were actually part of protometabolism? -- 3. Chirality |
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3.1. Defining chirality -- 3.2. Chiral asymmetry, from atom to molecule and mineral -- 3.3. Enantiomeric excess-inducing processes -- 3.4. Chirality as a diagnostic tool for life detection missions -- 4. Beyond molecules: How functions relevant to life may emerge -- 4.1. How functions relevant to life may emerge from chemical systems -- 4.2. Network models as a framework to pose origins questions -- 4.3. Implications for the search for extraterrestrial life -- 5. Conclusions and future trends -- 5.1. Conclusions -- 5.2. Current and future trends -- References |
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Chapter 3: Astrochemistry: Ingredients of life in space -- 1. Setting the stage -- 2. Elemental ingredients -- 3. Interstellar molecules -- 3.1. Stardust -- 3.2. Diffuse molecular clouds -- 3.3. Dense clouds -- 3.4. Star-forming regions -- 3.5. Protoplanetary disks -- 4. Prebiotic ingredients -- 5. Future trends in astrochemistry -- References -- Chapter 4: Water and organics in meteorites -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Water in meteorites -- 2.1. Hydrous mineral phases -- 3. Liquid water inclusions -- 4. Aqueous alteration on asteroid parent bodies -- 5. Organic matter in meteorites |
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5.1. Organic phases -- 5.2. Extraterrestrial organics and their significance for terrestrial biology -- 5.2.1. Amino acids -- 5.2.2. Nucleobases -- 5.2.3. Polyols -- 5.2.4. Carboxylic acids -- 5.3. The roles of water -- 6. Delivery of meteorites -- 6.1. Space weathering -- 6.2. Grand tack -- 6.3. Atmospheric entry heating -- 7. Terrestrial modification of meteorites -- 7.1. Atmospheric entry -- 7.2. Terrestrial residence -- 8. Terrestrial vs extraterrestrial origin -- 8.1. Water -- 8.2. Organic compounds -- 8.2.1. Isotopic analysis -- 8.2.2. Enantiomeric ratios |
| Notes |
Description based upon print version of record |
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9. Challenges in meteoritic analyses and how that can be overcome by modern technology |
| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Vaishampayan, Parag
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| ISBN |
9780323859271 |
|
0323859275 |
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