How to Build a Habitable Planet: The Story of Earth from the Big Bang to HumankindSince its first publication more than twenty-five years ago, How to Build a Habitable Planet has established a legendary reputation as an accessible yet scientifically impeccable introduction to the origin and evolution of Earth, from the Big Bang through the rise of human civilization. This classic account of how our habitable planet was assembled from the stuff of stars introduced readers to planetary, Earth, and climate science by way of a fascinating narrative. Now this great book has been made even better. Harvard geochemist Charles Langmuir has worked closely with the original author, Wally Broecker, one of the world's leading Earth scientists, to revise and expand the book for a new generation of readers for whom active planetary stewardship is becoming imperative. Interweaving physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology, this sweeping account tells Earth's complete story, from the synthesis of chemical elements in stars, to the formation of the Solar System, to the evolution of a habitable climate on Earth, to the origin of life and humankind. The book also addresses the search for other habitable worlds in the Milky Way and contemplates whether Earth will remain habitable as our influence on global climate grows. It concludes by considering the ways in which humankind can sustain Earth's habitability and perhaps even participate in further planetary evolution. Like no other book, How to Build a Habitable Planet provides an understanding of Earth in its broadest context, as well as a greater appreciation of its possibly rare ability to sustain life over geologic time.
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LibraryThing Review
Avis d'utilisateur - K.G.Budge - LibraryThingHow to Build a Habitable Planet: The Story of Earth from the Big Bang to Humankind Charles H. Langmuir and Wally Broecker This is only the second book I've read online; I still prefer paper and ink ... Consulter l'avis complet
Review: How To Build A Habitable Planet
Avis d'utilisateur - -uht! - GoodreadsThis book has changed my perspective about everything I see, think, and do. It concisely and logically presents the theory (as of 1985) of how our atoms were formed and bonded from the time of the big ... Consulter l'avis complet
Table des matières
| 1 | |
| 27 | |
| 51 | |
| 83 | |
The Formation of Planets and Moons from a Solar Nebula | 113 |
Quantifying the Timescale with Radionuclides | 141 |
Segregation into Core Mantle Crust Ocean and Atmosphere | 171 |
Moons Asteroids Comets and Impacts | 209 |
The Origin of Life as a Planetary Process | 383 |
The Roles of Evolution and Extinction in Creating the Diversity of Life | 427 |
Coevolution of Lifeand Planet to Create a Planetary Fuel Cell | 453 |
The Record of Oxidation of the Planetary Surface | 475 |
The Importance of Catastrophes and the Question of Directionality | 509 |
Causes and Consequences of Naturally Induced Climate Change | 539 |
Access to Earths Treasure Chest Permits a Planetary Takeover | 567 |
Human Civilization in a Planetary Context | 597 |
Running Water Temperature Control and Sun Protection | 249 |
Plate Tectonics | 285 |
Mantle Convection and Its Relationship to the Surface | 315 |
Solid Earth Liquid Ocean and Gaseous Atmosphere | 349 |
Chapter 21 Are We Alone? The Question of Habitability in the Universe | 649 |
GLOSSARY | 669 |
INDEX | 687 |
