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Fully updated throughout, including revised illustrations and new images from NASA missions, this new edition provides an overview of Earth's history from a planetary science perspective for Earth science undergraduates. Earth's evolution is described in the context of what we know about other planets and the cosmos at large, from the origin of the cosmos to the processes that shape planetary environments and from the origins of life to the inner workings of cells. Astronomy, earth science, planetary science and astrobiology are integrated to give students the whole picture of how the Earth has come to its present state and an understanding of the relationship between key ideas in different fields. The book presents concepts in nontechnical language and mathematical treatments are avoided where possible. New end-of-chapter summaries and questions allow students to check their understanding and critical thinking is emphasized to encourage students to explore ideas scientifically for themselves.
- Brand: Brand: Cambridge University Press
- Published on: 2013-04-08
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 10.87" h x .67" w x 8.62" l, 2.15 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 327 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
Review
"The keenly awaited second edition of Lunine's book does not disappoint. The clarity of writing and level of scholarship remain high, and there is no other treatment of our planet with this interdisciplinary breadth. As we hone in on Earth-like worlds far from home, this book is a perfect component for an undergraduate astronomy or astrobiology course."
Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor, University of Arizona
"Lunine focusses on the Earth as a system, and sets it in context in comparison with other Solar System bodies. This is how a geoscience text should be done these days."
David A. Rothery, The Open University
"Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World brings the knowledge gained by 50 years of Solar System exploration back to Earth and infuses the often hazy first half of Earth history with new energy and insight, providing a unique perspective on the entire history of our home planet."
James Head, Louis and Elizabeth Scherck Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences, Brown University
"Lunine's astrobiological perspective on Earth history is a breath of fresh air, drawing on the entire breadth of science to address fundamental questions about the origins of life, and the development of the systems that sustain it here on Earth, in a manner that quickly and directly connects to students."
Marshall Bartlett, Chair of Physics, Hollins University
"... I've never seen anything quite like it ... This would be a spectacular text for a course providing a perspective on Earth and planetary science and modern issues in our stewardship of the Earth for students majoring in fields outside the geosciences ... It could even give geology students perspective on the 'deep time' that is beyond the vast majority of Earth's geologic record, and on Earth's place in the solar system ... Jonathan Lunine is a scientist who knows his planetary climates, having studied atmospheres of worlds inside and outside our solar system, and who has done lots of recent work on astrobiology."
Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society (planetary.org)
"Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World succeeds remarkably in providing a well-balanced, enjoyable, and crystal clear summary of a broad set of topics that together introduce Earth and life in its complexity and interconnectedness. The book is rich in up-to-date research and it simultaneously provides a breadth and depth that are unmatched - students, interested laymen, and researchers will all enjoying reading it. What set[s] Lunine's text apart from the increasing number of great astrobiology books [is] the unmatched clarity of the text, its logical and well-balanced structure, and the surprising level of detail that the book succeeds in providing over the breadth of topics covered. Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World is an excellent book for geosciences, planetary sciences, and astrobiology - it is set to be a classic, like its first edition was."
Daniel Apai, Meteoritics and Planetary Science
"When this book arrived for review and I scanned the contents my first thought was, "This looks like a great asset to my current OU studies ..." and by and large I have to say it has been a good companion. ... well structured and easy enough to read ... I enjoyed this book ..."
David Swain, Open University Geological Society Journal
"Lunine always shows us the exact nature of the evidence that leads scientists to be able to piece together the jigsaw puzzle they are trying to solve. He does this with careful referencing and good use of figures, so that the interested reader will always know where to look up more information, or investigate the data more deeply themselves."
Vijay Tymms, New Directions
About the Author
Jonathan I. Lunine is the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences at Cornell University. His research interests center broadly on planetary origin and evolution, in our solar system and around other stars. He works as an interdisciplinary scientist on the Cassini mission to Saturn and on the James Webb Space Telescope, and is also a co-investigator on the Juno mission which launched for Jupiter in August 2011. Dr Lunine is the author of over 230 scientific papers and besides the first edition of this book (Cambridge University Press, 1999), he has also written Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2005). He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Geophysical Union.
Most helpful customer reviews
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
The evolution of our planet from a new perspective
By Philip Eklund (phileklund@aol.com)
Earth, Evolution of a Habitable World by Jonathan I. Lunine
Review by Philip Eklund
Dr. Lunine is a Professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona, and a NASA advisor. His new book describes Earth's evolution in a fresh perspective, in relation to its sister planets, particularly Mars and Venus. This 319 page textbook covers Earth's origin, the development of its atmosphere and oceans, the variations of its orbit and climate, and at what point we are enmeshed in its long and lively history. The reader can see how we can be unwittingly in the teeth of an ice age and why the number of species has crescendoed now, in our time.
The vast territory that Lunine succinctly covers is all that anyone with a bit of gumption needs to become an authority on the state of our planet. Guideposts to this territory include the sciences of measurement (basically, math, the metric system, and dating methods), and of physics as applied to geology and biology (and some chemistry). Unfortunately Lunine sometimes lapses into off-topic diversions of astronomy (Doppler shifts, lunar phases, Stonehenge, eclipses, and aging planets by the density of their craters). Also, there is no glossary, but the index is adequate. (A few undefined jargons, like "cratonization", sneak in.)
The book is profusely illustrated by Jonathan's wife, Cynthia. There is a color section, mostly of refugees of some astronomy book showing various wonders of the universe. But one color map of the Southwest occupied my attention for a long time. It compares vegetation regimes during the Pleistocene and the Present, the ancient record being derived from pollen counts meticulously gleaned from old packrat middens. I amused myself by examining these data to see whether elephants could be reintroduced into Arizona. Another color figure shows fantastic computer sequences on how the moon must have been formed by an impact between Earth and a Mars-sized billiard ball.
The description of the origin of life is a gem. Lunine's compelling prose springs out as lively as the quasi-stable whirlpools of life he describes (basically an autocatalysis model describing a mode of life existing before reproduction). An alternative model depicting an RNA origin of life is provided mainly for comic relief. Although the role of biology in forming Earth's almost explosive atmosphere covers several subsequent chapters, life is depicted as along for the ride, and the Gaia "biofeedback" theory is dismissed in a sentence.
Unfortunately, the origin of sentience, an event indisputably more profound than the origin of life, is not mentioned. However, the fossil evolution rise of humanity, particularly the Neanderthals, is wonderfully covered. Lunine mentions the "blitzkrieg" theory of his neighbor, Dr. Paul Martin, who postulates the extinction of American megafauna, such as the great elephants and saber-tooths, as being the result of the invasion of "native" Americans with spears. A nice contrast to the increase in American bio-diversity that accompanied the post-Columbian invasion of technologically advanced humans.
Lunine was identified by Time magazine as one of its 1994 "50 for the Future" list of emerging American leaders. Lunine himself would prefer the term "policy-maker" to leader, in the sense of presenting knowledge that self-led individuals can organize into principles of purposeful and long range action. The power of a comprehensive book such as this is that current issues such as global warming can be put in the perspective of past "atmosphere crises" of Earth, such as the super-high greenhouse prevailing at the end of the dinosaur era.
The penultimate chapter, titled "Limited Resources" fails this potential, being anecdotal without the factual rigor of the preceding chapters. (I was told that this chapter was written at the last minute at the request of the publisher.) Lunine starts by treating limited resources and overpopulation as arbitrary assertions, in defiance of his tradition of listing the assumptions of every dating method or limitations of climate modeling.
On the plus side, Lunine does take a rational stand against the Luddites. But where are the charts on air pollution, famine frequencies, human fertility, wetland or forest land acreage, etc. over time? The charts that do appear, on projections of population, energy use, kilos of grain per person, and "undiscovered" oil, have none of the error bars, validation, or context of previous chapters. Bemoaning the tiny amount of land urbanized each year to support farmers moving to the cities as a result of a world-wide food glut is an example of the surreal non-sequitor grab-bag of alarmist insinuations of which fill this chapter.
Particularly nasty is the bromide that less industrialized nations need a "reasonable" standard of living, with the implication that the U.S., (which creates most of the resources that feed and run the world), somehow deprives them of this even as the U.S. demonstrates the technological and political blueprints on how to achieve abundance. Since humans are too greedy or stupid to be allowed the freedom to despoil their own nest, only coercive regulation, or supra-governmental "cooperation" is required to tell their citizenry what is in their own best interests at gun-point. The nadir of these politics is an inexcusable sanction of coercive sterilization in China.
Other than the coverage of our most recent millennium, Lunine has written a tightly integrated and ambitious book. Particularly evocative is the imagery of the continents, floating and jostled into each other like froth on the churning oceanic plates of the Earth, teeming with a surprisingly robust and assertive biological component, laughing yet seesawing through cosmic disasters, extinctions, and self-induced crises of a scale that reduces the palimpsest of human intervention to ripples from a plunked stone.
This beautiful and vigorous accomplishment surmounts what has heretofore been a dry subject, and it literally groundbreaks the placement of our planet and ourselves in the objective context of existence and history.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
perfect book for reference
By Michael G McGauley
If you're looking for a book that is a great read and even a better reference book about the geosciences, this is the one. I refer to it often in my scientific education. The references at the end of each chapter are also a great way for people to get further information on each subject, if they need it.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Very informative
By H. Baki Iz
I used the book for a book report in teaching. It nicely complemented the topics covered in the syllabus. Occasionally narrative becomes boring with emphasis on astrophysics. Nonetheless, the content clearly reflects the author's deeper understanding of the topics in a unifying scheme.
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