Carlos Hernandez
Dec22-03, 01:34 AM
Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life
by David Grinspoon
Hardcover: 440 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.42 x 9.46 x 6.44
Publisher: HarperCollins; (November 4, 2003) ISBN: 0060185406
AMAZON - US
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060185406/darwinanddarwiniAMAZON - UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060185406/humannaturecomEditorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute's department of space
science, Grinspoon offers an up-to-date picture of the search for
extraterrestrial life and the prospects of finding it in a universe that we now
know contains other solar systems. It also covers the nearly four centuries
that the search has been under way since the initial observations of
Renaissance astronomers. As soon as biology joined the inquiring minds,
theories multiplied thick and fast; the historiography of the scientific debate
is complex and has the potential for being unbearably dull. But Grinspoon
handles the wide variety of material necessary for a coherent narrative with
great aplomb, marshalling material such as the charming Conversations, a
17th-century dialogue by a French astronomer in which a philosopher and a
marquise debate astronomical topics. Even when he turns to physics, the author
runs to phrases like "the Sun in its wild youth" to describe the energy output
of various kinds of stars, making this book less a popularization than a
personable chat on life, the universe and everything.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Complete text at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evolutionary-psychology/message/28537
by David Grinspoon
Hardcover: 440 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.42 x 9.46 x 6.44
Publisher: HarperCollins; (November 4, 2003) ISBN: 0060185406
AMAZON - US
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060185406/darwinanddarwiniAMAZON - UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060185406/humannaturecomEditorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute's department of space
science, Grinspoon offers an up-to-date picture of the search for
extraterrestrial life and the prospects of finding it in a universe that we now
know contains other solar systems. It also covers the nearly four centuries
that the search has been under way since the initial observations of
Renaissance astronomers. As soon as biology joined the inquiring minds,
theories multiplied thick and fast; the historiography of the scientific debate
is complex and has the potential for being unbearably dull. But Grinspoon
handles the wide variety of material necessary for a coherent narrative with
great aplomb, marshalling material such as the charming Conversations, a
17th-century dialogue by a French astronomer in which a philosopher and a
marquise debate astronomical topics. Even when he turns to physics, the author
runs to phrases like "the Sun in its wild youth" to describe the energy output
of various kinds of stars, making this book less a popularization than a
personable chat on life, the universe and everything.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Complete text at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evolutionary-psychology/message/28537