Inverted Bowl : Introductory Accounts of the Universe and Its Life.
Title:
Inverted Bowl : Introductory Accounts of the Universe and Its Life.
Author:
Cole, George H. A.
ISBN:
9781848165045
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (364 pages)
Contents:
Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1. Planets Orbiting the Sun and Other Stars -- 1.1. General Features of the Solar System. -- 1.1.1. The planets -- 1.1.2. The satellites -- 1.1.3. The asteroids -- 1.1.4. The Kuiper belt and Oort cloud -- 1.2. The Terrestrial Planetary Bodies -- 1.2.1. Different molecular groups -- 1.2.2. Some Venusian data -- 1.2.3. Comments on Mars -- 1.3. The Characteristics of a Planetary Body -- 1.4. Maximum and Minimum Conditions -- 1.5. Planetary Bodies: Cold Bodies -- 1.6. Methods Used to Detect Bodies of Planetary Mass -- 1.6.1. Motion of the central star -- 1.6.2. Direct transit -- 1.6.3. Gravitational micro-lensing -- 1.6.4. Direct imaging -- 1.7. Observed Exo-planets -- 1.8. Relevance for the Occurrence of Advanced Life -- 1.9. Summary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 2. The Dynamic Earth -- 2.1. The Geological Divisions -- 2.2. The Formation and Isothermal Structure of the Earth -- 2.2.1. The early earth -- 2.2.2. Internal differentiation -- 2.3. Internal Thermal Balance -- 2.3.1. Thermal forces -- 2.3.2. Dimensionless numbers -- 2.3.3. Models -- 2.4. Geochronology: Measurement of Rock Radioactivity -- 2.5. Measurement of Remanent Magnetisation -- 2.6. The Land Surfaces-the Development of Continents -- 2.6.1. Plates and plate tectonics -- 2.6.2. Ancient continents -- 2.7. The Surface Temperature -- 2.8. The Climate -- 2.9. The Atmosphere -- 2.10. Energy Absorbed from Solar Radiation -- 2.11. Astronomical Factors Affecting the Atmosphere -- 2.11.1. Milanković cycles -- 2.12. Effects of Volcanoes -- 2.13. Ice Ages -- 2.14. External Impacts -- 2.15. Summary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 3. Life in Water: The Precambrian -- 3.1. Constructing the Very Early Times -- A: Single Cell Organisms -- 3.2. Life Begins -- 3.3. Life Develops -- 3.4. ATP: A Biological Battery -- 3.5. Life Expands.
3.6. Oxygen and Internally Differentiated Cells -- 3.7. Complex Cells -- 3.8. Sex Arrives - Genetic Diversity and Stability -- B. Multicell Life -- 3.9. Primitive Senses -- 3.9.1. The amazing Cambrian explosion -- 3.9.2. Questions about the Cambrian explosion -- 3.10. Some Images fromthe Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale -- 3.11. Summary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 4. Life Develops in the Phanerozoic -- 4.1. Invasion of the Land -- 4.2. The Seed and the Amniotic Egg -- 4.3. Creatures Come and Go: Some Fly Away -- 4.3.1. Dinosaurs appear -- 4.3.2. Flight -- 4.3.3. Mammals appear -- 4.3.4. Developments apace -- 4.4. The Role of Extinctions -- 4.4.1. The Cambrian extinctions -- 4.4.2. The Devonian extinction -- 4.4.3. The Permian extinction -- 4.4.4. The end of Triassic extinction -- 4.4.5. The Quaternary-Tertiary extinction -- 4.5. Evolution of Eyes -- 4.6. Brief Comment on Climate -- 4.7. Summary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 5. Hominids - Homo Sapiens -- 5.1. Nomenclature -- 5.2. Development ofMoreModern Forms -- 5.3. Hominids Diversify -- 5.3.1. 7-4.5Mya -- 5.3.2. 4.5-3.0Mya -- 5.3.3. 3.0-2.0Mya -- 5.3.4. 2.0-1.0Mya -- 5.4. The Line Homo Sapiens -- 5.4.1. 1.0Mya to the present -- 5.5. The Future of Homo Sapiens Sapiens? -- 5.6. Summary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 6. A Universe of Exo-Life? -- 6.1. Preliminary Information -- 6.2. A Stellar Time Scale -- 6.3. Abiogenisis-How Did Life Form? -- 6.4. Where Did Life Form-In situ or Panspermia? -- 6.5. Where Can Life Live? -- 6.6. Suitable Exo-planetary Systems -- 6.7. Isolation of the Systems -- 6.8. The Fermi Paradox and Drake Equation -- 6.9. Contacting Other Civilisations: SETI and METI -- 6.10. Space Travel -- 6.11. General Validity of Evolutionary Processes -- 6.12. The Röle of Information -- 6.13. Rˆole of Automata -- 6.14. Summary -- Further Reading -- Epilogue -- Appendices.
Appendix 1. Discovering the Cosmos -- A1.1. Comments on the Early Solar System. -- A1.2. Disquiet in the Heavens: LargeMeasured Distances -- A1.3. A Larger Universe inMotion -- A1.4. Basis of Theoretical Descriptions -- A1.5. An Important Cosmic Constant -- A1.6. Possible Universes -- A1.7. The Galaxies -- A1.7.1. Radio galaxies -- A1.7.2. Clusters of galaxies -- A1.8. Visible Gravity Is Not Enough: Dark Matter -- A1.9. Dark Energy -- A1.10. Summary -- Appendix 2. Further Comments -- A2.1. An Overall Cosmic Abundance of the Elements -- A2.2. Forming Condensed Bodies -- A2.3. The Detailed Constitution of the Sun -- A2.4. Stellar Constitutions in General -- A2.4.1. Hierarchy of stars -- A2.4.2. Expressing stellar evolution -- A2.4.3. Comments on solar-type stars -- A2.5. Brown Dwarf Stars -- A2.6. Ice as a PlanetaryMaterial -- A2.7. Icy Bodies -- A2.8. Comments on the Composition of Animate Matter -- A2.9. Conclusions -- A2.10. Summary -- Appendix 3. The Strange World of the Atom -- A3.1. Early Thoughts about Atoms -- A3.2. Atomic Structure of Gases -- A3.3. Statistics and Thermodynamics: Entropy -- A3.4. Entropy and Information -- A3.5. Atoms and the Brownian Motion: Irreversibility -- A3.6. Understanding Atoms -- A3.7. The Limits to Certainty -- A3.8. AWorld View -- A3.9. Summary -- Appendix 4. Sources of Energy -- A4.1. Conditions Inside a Star -- A4.2. Actual Stellar Energy Sources -- A4.2.1. Solar-type stars -- A4.2.2. Details of the fusion process -- A4.3. The Death of the Star: TheWhite Dwarf -- A4.4. Energy Sources for Heavier Stars -- A4.4.1. Binding energy -- A4.4.2. The extended reactions -- A4.5. Death of a Heavier Star -- A4.6. The Production of the Chemical Elements: Nuclear Synthesis -- A4.7. Brown Dwarf: DeuteriumBurning -- A4.8. Gamma Ray Energies -- A4.9. Energy for Space Travel -- A4.9.1. The required speeds.
A4.9.2. Achieving an escape -- A4.9.3. Fuels -- A4.10. Domestic Energy -- A4.10.1. Direct stellar energy -- A4.10.2. Wind power -- A4.10.3. Palaeo-matter: Coal -- A4.10.4. Palaeo-matter: Oil/natural gas -- A4.10.5. Nuclear fission power -- A4.10.6. Nuclear fusion power -- A4.11. Summary -- Appendix 5. The Language of Science: Developing Mathematics -- Further Reading -- Compendium -- Name Index -- Subject Index.
Abstract:
The present well-established study of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, the exoplanets, was reviewed by the author in his earlier book "Wandering Stars". This new and exciting field of study has expanded quickly, particularly due to technological advances in both Earth-based telescopes and, more recently, in the application of automatic space vehicles. Well over 300 exoplanets have now been catalogued, each of mass comparable to or greater than those of the major planets of the Solar System. Earth-sized bodies remain out of reach for the present. The data obtained so far show that the distribution of major planets in our Solar System is the exception rather than the rule, contrary to earlier expectations. A few exoplanet systems do, nevertheless, give the promise of broadly Solar System conditions with the possibility of Earth-like components in appropriate orbits. This immediately raises the age-old question of whether there can be life elsewhere in the Universe and whether this might involve advanced technologically-capable beings like ourselves. The topic is explored in this workbook.To gain a balanced perspective on these matters, the arguments are set against the broad panorama of the Universe on the one hand and on the evolution of life on Earth leading to Homo sapiens on the other. More than this, the apparatus for achieving technological excellence, such as the development of appropriate energy sources and the invention of the required mathematical skills, is also included. This wide range of arguments is unusual. This notebook-cum-workbook provides a firm and comprehensive introduction to these studies. It is written by an expert in the field for readers beginning to ponder these questions seriously. It is hoped that the reader will extend the arguments further as the subject develops. A special feature is an extensive
compendium to act as the beginnings of a personal inventory. "The Inverted Bowl" is in a very real sense a companion to "Wandering Stars".
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
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