The Search for Life in
the Universe Third Edition
The Search for Life in
the Universe "Teachers and students everywhere of wildly
popular courses on life in the universe should rejoice to see this update of the
classic textbook by Don Goldsmith and Toby Owen."
--Frank Shu, University of California at Berkeley
"Quite possibly the best astrobiology text
available...[it is] clear, interesting and captivating. I highly recommend The
Search for Life in the Universe to anyone with a serious interest in
astrobiology."
--International Journal of Astrobiology
"This textbook by Goldsmith and Owen will take you on a fascinating
journey."
-- Jill Tarter, SETI Institute
"Certainly this text will increase the
wonder and delight which all of us find in the search for life in the
universe."
--Frank Drake, from the Foreword to the Second Edition
"I teach astronomy with a search-for-life
curriculum because that approach, which emphasizes the connections among astronomy, geology, biology, and planetary science, engages students much
more effectively than the standard "tour-the-universe" class does.
Goldsmith and Owen's new edition of The Search for Life thoroughly
updates an already excellent text, making it the ideal book for
this course."
--Dana Backman, Franklin & Marshall College
"When these authors came out with their
first edition in 1980, I adopted it happily and have used it ever since. The
third edition is very welcome in a field that is developing very rapidly.
I am especially pleased with the new illustrations by Jon Lomberg, which
help students gain perspective on difficult concepts."
--Bob Garrison, University of Toronto
"The third edition of The Search for Life
in the Universe by Goldsmith and Owen is a welcome and timely update of what
has become a classic text. Its accessible yet thorough presentation makes this
book an easy choice."
--Karen B. Kwitter, Williams College
"This newly revised edition, replete with much current
and updated information, weaves together with wit and enthusiasm, the diverse and
fascinating cosmological, astronomical, physical, chemical, biological,
sociological and philosophical concerns underlying the great query: is
there life in the universe?"
--Alan M. Rosan, Drew University
"Adopting the text of Goldsmith and Owen for the ET Life
class at Sonoma State University was an intellectual evolutionary step -- out
of popular speculation and into a rigorous and enjoyable astrobiology
education."
--Scott Funkhouser, UC Berkeley, Sonoma State University
Long recognized as the "Gold Standard" text for astrobiology courses, The Search for Life in the Universe now appears in a completely revised and updated Third Edition. This book engages students in astronomy by presenting a great, unsolved mystery: How likely is life beyond earth, and how can we find it if it exists? The text covers the fundamentals of astronomy and astrophysics, including the discovery of more than 55 planets around other stars, and also provides an overview of biology, geology, evolution, and the possibilities of interstellar travel and communication. Written for readers with no background in mathematics, the book includes 24 color insert pages and brilliantly rendered illustrations by Jon Lomberg.
About the Authors: 
Donald Goldsmith was the science editor and
co-writer of the PBS television series The Astronomers and the co-writer of
NOVA's Is Anybody Out There? with Lily Tomlin. He has written and
edited 15 books on astronomy, including The Runaway Universe, Worlds Unnumbered,
Supernova!, and The Hunt for Life on Mars. Donald Goldsmith received his
Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught
astronomy courses there and at other institutions, including Stanford
University, Cornell University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has
received the lifetime achievement award in popularizing astronomy from the American Astronomical Society, the science writing award from the American
Institute of Physics, and the Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts award for increasing
public awareness of astronomy from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Tobias Owen ranks among the world's leading experts on the
solar system. He was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific
Achievement for his work on the Martian atmosphere with the Viking Landers in
1976 and led the group of Voyager scientists who discovered the rings of Jupiter
in 1979. He is currently a member of scientific teams on the
Galileo, Nozomi, CONTOUR, DS-1 and Cassini-Huygens missions. With David
Morrison, he co-authored a college text, The Planetary System, and
has written over 250 scientific and popular articles. He is professor of astronomy at the University of Hawaii
where he studies planets, satellites, and comets with the giant telescopes on Mauna
Kea.
