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Summary: Great book!
Review: I thought this book would be really technical, but I really enjoyed it, it was easy to read and very interesting!
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Summary: "Life" Seen Against A Cosmic Backdrop
Review: In recent years, a new, broad scientific discipline has come into being: Astrobiology. As with anything new, its scope is still undergoing formulation. Some see Astrobiology as simply "exobiology-plus" (exobiology being a term used to describe the search for life's origins on earth -and elsewhere). Others (as a somewhat generic space biologist I include myself) see Astrobiology as something much more expansive - something not at all distant from "Life, the universe, and everything" to lift a line from Douglas Adams.In his book "Impossible Extinction" author Charles Cockell embraces the larger definition of the term. His task is daunting: describe the Earth's voyage through the cosmos as a backdrop for the origin and evolution of life across the planet's surface - and subsurface. Add in regular catastrophes - of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin, stand back, and watch what life does. Throughout the book (written in engaging style for both an educated layperson or a seasoned professional) it becomes clear that the true survivors as each disaster besets our planet are microbes. Not only do microbes barely hang on, but they thrive. Over the course of life's tenure on our planet microbes have come to inhabit some of the most improbable and extreme (from a human perspective that is) ecological niches on - and within our planet. Such flexibility and tenacity affords the chance for survival even if the surface of the planet is laid waste and partially molten. Of course, Earth is but one planet amongst an unimaginable number thought to exist in the universe. Cockell addresses this as well, placing our world and the life it carries, against a truly cosmic perspective. The reader of this well-presented book is left with a clear, concise understanding of what life is capable of enduring on Earth. And if it happened on this planet ...
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Summary: To Live and Let Live
Review: It is only within the last decade that most scientists have accepted that the Earth's geology and biology are both shaped by celestial events, as well as tectonic ones. Cockell has worked in both the Arctic and the Antarctic to study microscopic life under extreme conditions, and he gives us a splendid account of how microbes, which make up to 80% of our planet's biomass, have survived on our planet for three and a half billion years. He uses the 225 million year cycle it takes the Earth to circle the galaxy as a timeframe within which to describe their ability to survive everything from catastrophic volcanism to the impacts of asteroids. Along the way, he also examines chances for life elsewhere in the solar system. Needless to say, he demonstrates conclusively why microbes stand a better chance of survival on Earth than we do. Cockell's writing is authoritative, humorous, and accessible to a lay audience.
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