Comets and the Origin of Life: Proceedings of the Fifth College Park Colloquium on Chemical Evolution, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

ISBN-13: 9789400985308 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 282 str.

Cyril Ponnamperuma

Opis

The return of Halley's Cornet in 1986 has generated much ex citement in the scientific community with preparations already afoot for an International Cornet Watch and a cornet launch by the European Space Community, the Japanese and Soviet Space Scientists. The meet ing held at the University of Maryland in October 1980 was primarily stimulated by the preparations for further study of this cornet and by one of the most important unanswered questions related to comets, name ly, whether they may have made a eontribution to the origin of life on earth. Our un"derstanding of the role of comets in the origin of life must necessarily come from our studies of the astronomy and the chem istry of comets. Some clues to the processes which led to the for mation of organic molecules and eventually to the appearance of life have come from these studies of comets, perhaps the most ancient of all objects in our solar system. Whether there is, however, a biology of comets still remains to be seen, although some claims have been made that perhaps comets might themselves provide an environment for even the beginnings of life. Scientists with the latest available information on comets and differing opinions as to the role of comets in the origin of life attended this symposium. The formal papers presented are now being made available to the students of chemical evolution within the pages of this volume."

Recenzje

`Ice Sheets and Climate has no equal in demonstrating the critical relationship between glaciation and climtic change. I intend to make it my standard teaching text and I recommend it highly.' Elsevier's Earth Science Reviews

Spis treści

The Nature of Comets.- Comet Nucleus: Some Characteristics and a Hypothesis on Origin and Structure.- Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Comets.- Statistical Equilibrium Calculations of Cometary Molecules.- Chemical Abundances in Comets.- Interplanetary Dust - Its Physical Nature and Entry into the Atmosphere of Terrestrial Planets.- Interaction of Comets With the Interplanetary Medium.- Chemical Kinetics in the Coma.- On the Mechanism of Ray Closure in Comet Tails.- Chemical Evolution of Interstellar Dust - A Source of Prebiotic Material?.- Comets and the Origin of Life - The Stable Isotope Approach.- Are Comets Connected to the Origin of Life?.- Comets and the Photochemistry of the Paleoatmosphere.- Cometary Material and the Origins of Life on Earth.- Comets - A Vehicle for Panspermia.- Extreme Environments: Are There Any Limits to Life?.- Missions to Comets: The Perspective in 1980.- Comets and the Origin of Life: Bibliography.- Participants.